PBS host Henry Louis Gates Jr. put Al Roker on the spot during Tuesday’s (January 2) The Today Show when he mentioned how the beloved weathercaster backed out of a Finding Your Roots appearance.
Gates Jr. hosts Finding Your Roots, which sees celebrity guests presented with a “book of life” compiled with information about their ancestral histories, familial connections, and secrets about their lineage, all researched by professional genealogists.
Talking to Today‘s Roker, Craig Melvin, and Sheinelle Jones about the tenth season, which premiered Tuesday, January 2, on PBS, Gates Jr. was asked if he had any dream guests for the show.
Without hesitation, the historian turned to Roker and put him on blast. “Um. Let me see. Al Roker!” he said. “I have begged him. He’d say yes, and then he called and said he changed his mind.”
Season 10 kicked off with singers Ciara and Alanis Morissette tracing their histories, and future guests include Valerie Bertinelli, Danielle Brooks, LeVar Burton, Michael Douglas, Lena Dunham, Brendan Fraser, Sammy Hagar, Sunny Hostin, Tracy Morgan, Ed O’Neill, Bob Odenkirk, Anthony Ramos, Iliza Shlesinger, Wes Studi, Dionne Warwick, and Jesse Williams.
As for whether we’ll ever see Roker on the show? The Today co-host said it’s possible.
After Melvin joked that he “can’t wait” until Roker “sits at the table,” Gates Jr. asked, “Is this a commitment?”
“Yeah, we will talk about this. Seriously,” Roker replied, adding that he needed to talk to his siblings first.
NBC/Today
As for his other dream guests, Gates Jr. named Dolly Parton, Clint Eastwood, Johnny Mathis, and Martin Scorsese, saying of the latter. “I would love [to have him]. He’s like God to me.”
While we wait to see if Roker ever appears on the hit PBS series, the long-time weatherman is busy with other projects, including penning the fourth novel in his Morning Show Murders series. The upcoming novel, titled Murder on Demand, is set to debut in April.
And that’s not the only book Roker plans to release next year; he’s also working on a sentimental cookbook with his daughter, Courtney Laga, which focuses on food his family has made over the years.
“The theme is family recipes that I’ve made, that Courtney’s made, that my mom made, [wife] Deborah [Roberts]’ mom made, that Deborah does, and a couple of my sisters,’ he told Parade. “It just revolves around family and friends … It’s been a long time in the making. They’re all recipes that I grew up with from a young kid to today.”
Finding Your Roots, Season 10, Tuesdays, 8/7 c, PBS