Al Roker shared a positive update about his prostate cancer diagnosis during his Monday appearance on "The Kelly Clarkson Show."
"I really feel good. I was very fortunate. We caught it early. It was an aggressive form of prostate cancer, but we caught it very early," revealed the TODAY weatherman and co-host, 66.
"I had a great surgeon from Memorial Sloan Kettering, Dr. Vincent Laudone. He feels we got it all," Al said of the five-hour surgery he underwent on Nov. 9 to remove his prostate along with some surrounding tissue and lymph nodes.
Al recently underwent testing to check his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, something he'll continue doing every six months for the next five years. "I'm waiting for bloodwork and once my PSA level is, like, below .05 that means there's no prostate cancer at this moment," he shared.
Al told Clarkson he decided to go public with his diagnosis to demonstrate the importance of prostate cancer screenings.
"I went public with this because — it's a simple test, but a lot of guys, you know, we're wimpy. We don't like going to the doctor. And this is an easy to test to do. There's obviously the digital exam," said Al, who began hilariously imitating Chevy Chase singing "Moon River" during a wacky prostate cancer screening scene in the 1985 comedy "Fletch."
The screenings are especially important for African-American men, who are 50% more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer and twice as likely to die from it, added Al. "I just want people to get their prostate checked and especially if you're a man of color. Get your prostate checked. It's not that big a deal and it can make a big deal," he said.
Clarkson, 38, thanked Al for being transparent about his cancer journey. She also noted that Al got a COVID-19 vaccine live on TODAY to encourage others to do the same.
"Sadly, I'm the only one on the TODAY show old enough to get the shot. I'm over 65," Al said, laughing.
"I just wanted to go in there and try to show people, hey look, this is easy — if you can get (the vaccine)" he added.
Al revealed he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer during the Nov. 6 episode of TODAY. Days later, he underwent surgery at New York City's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
One week before Al returned to TODAY on Nov. 23, he shared the good news that a pathology report following his surgery found that there was no evidence of cancer beyond the prostate.
"It was this great relief," Al told TODAY viewers at the time. "For a first start, this is terrific news. I'm going to be up for — and a lot of people who live with cancer — up for lifelong testing to make sure this doesn't come back."