'Today' Star Al Roker Breaks His Silence on Katie Couric’s Explosive Memoir Revelations

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Al Roker is speaking out in support of his former Today show colleague Katie Couric.

This week, the beloved 67-year-old morning show weather anchor, who has been with NBC over 40 years, became the first Today show cast member to publicly comment on Katie's new memoir Going There, according to People TV. In Katie's new memoir, the renowned journalist touches on a number of difficult and controversial topics, including the sexist nature of the media industry and the infamous ousting of Matt Lauer from NBC in 2017 following a string of sexual misconduct allegations.

In one section of Going There, Katie said she previously saw Matt as "Decent. Kind. Generous. Conscientious. The epitome of a good guy." The book even includes text messages between the two exchanged around the time Matt had been fired. Over time, it became clear that Katie's perspective shifted as more information about the allegations became available.

"I know Matt thinks I betrayed him, and that makes me sad. But he betrayed me, too, by how he behaved behind closed doors at the show we both cared about so much," Katie wrote.

While Al's current Today cohosts have remained silent on the release of the book, Al seemed to have no problem sharing his thoughts.

"She was very forthcoming, the book was called “Going There.” And she lived up to the title," Al reasoned. "You know, it’s not your typical everything is sweetness and light kind of memoir, so props to her for that."

It's not totally surprising that Al issued such a supportive statement. After all, prior social media posts and reports make it clear that the two have remained good friends over the years despite Katie leaving Today in 2006 for CBS News. In 2019, Page Six noted that Katie was among the past and present Today show stars at Al and his wife Deborah Roberts' holiday bash.

What's more, Katie posted a photo and supportive message when Al revealed last year that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer (Al has since undergone a successful surgery to remove his prostate and said in May that he has a clean bill of health).

"Thinking about my dear friend @alroker and wishing him the best as he faces prostate cancer. Sending so much love to you, Al!" she wrote in December.

Al's comment on Katie's book came as he was promoting his new podcast called Cooking Up a Storm With Al Roker. During each new episode, Al makes a Thanksgiving meal course with the help of some very special guests while exchanging personal stories and talking about their shared love of food. Some of the special guests include Ina Garten, Sean Sherman, and Marcus Samuelsson.

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