Al Roker Opens Up on Weight Issues

To mark the publication of his memoir, Today Show weatherman, Al Roker, opened up to USA Today about his yo-yoing weight, his gastric bypass surgery, and his feelings about weight bias. According to Roker, who at times in his life has lost and gained back up to 100 pounds but who now lives a healthier life, losing weight isn’t about going on a diet. It’s about changing your life.

He also recommends not giving people with excess weight or obesity unsolicited advice. “Guess what? We know we’re fat. We live in homes with mirrors.” And while gastric bypass surgery helped him, he doesn’t think it’s for everyone and he refuses to become a spokesman for it. “I’ll never recommend it publicly. It’s surgery. It’s a tough thing to do.” When asked why some people are intolerant of people with excess weight, Roker, who was sometimes called Fat Albert as a kid, says, “I think it’s because it’s the last bastion of being able to be intolerant. People who would never think of dealing in racial or sexual stereotypes will still throw in a fat joke because it’s still OK. Really?”

Click here to read the full interview in USA Today.

Al Roker with Lino Rulli and Father Rob Keighron, image © Chuck129 / Wikimedia Commons