Al Roker has been away from The Today Show for the past week having undergone knee replacement surgery earlier this month.
Hosts Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie were in good company as weather forecaster Bill Karins stepped in on Tuesday to cover for the star. But how much do you know about Bill? Here's all you need to know…
Who is Bill Karins?
Bill Karins is an NBC Meteorologist. He can usually be seen keeping viewers up to date on the weather forecast on NBC News.
© NBCBill, 49, was born in Albany, New York. After graduating from the State University of New York at Oneonta, he went on to work as a meteorologist for KSNT in Topeka, Kansas, and at WCTI in New Bern, North Carolina. He also worked in Bangor, Maine for WABI-TV before eventually moving over to NBC.
For 15 years, he worked on MSNBC's Way Too Early and Morning Joe but recently moved to the evening schedule for all NBC News platforms, including MSNBC Live, CNBC, NBC News and NBC News NOW.
As well as filling in for Al on Today, Bill often stands in for Dylan Dreyer on Weekend Today.
Is Bill Karins married?
While Bill likes to keep his personal life private, it's been reported that he is married to Carolina Leah Karins. The couple live together in Brooklyn with their two children, a son and a daughter.
© InstagramIn his spare time, Bill likes to get out for exercise and enjoys running, biking, swimming and playing basketball. He often runs marathons and even completed the Long Island Marathon earlier this month in three and a half hours – how impressive!
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Speaking to teacher and blogger Julie Fleming about his workout routine, Bill revealed when he worked an early morning shift, he could only get his exercise in at midnight on hot days.
© Instagram"For 15 years, getting up at 2 am required me to exercise whenever I possibly could," he explained. "I usually worked out when I got home from work — between noon and 2 pm, before my kids finished school — which, in the summer, meant that I was training during the hottest time of day.
"I do not enjoy doing long runs or rides in that kind of humidity, so sometimes I ran after the kids went to sleep and didn't get back until midnight. I definitely sacrificed a lot of sleep, but I'm blessed that I can get by with five hours a night and feel just fine."
Why isn't Al Roker on Today?
Last week, Al went under the knife for knee replacement surgery and is currently recovering. Announcing the news on Instagram, he wrote: "All set for my #totalkneereplacement on Tuesday. But in the meantime, I was able to get one more walk in #starttoday and check out our @facebook page."
© Getty ImagesAfter the surgery, Al's wife Deborah gave an update on his condition. The fellow journalist shared a selfie showing her posing next to her husband, who was lying in a hospital bed. She wrote in the caption: "So grateful for talented medical team who got him back on his feet with a new knee and new sense of confidence after such a major challenge. Moving forward with #grit #gratitude and #grace Humbled by all the good wishes and #prayer and the blessing of good #healthcare."
© InstagramThis isn't the first time Al has taken a break from the show due to medical reasons. Last year, the 68-year-old was away for over a month after suffering from blood clots in his lungs and undergoing a subsequent surgery.
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