Al Roker is a loving father to three children and is currently enjoying spending time with his son, Nick, during his summer break from college.
The Today meteorologist, 68, is making the most of their father-son time together and they have already enjoyed al fresco dining in the spacious backyard of their Upper East Side brownstone. Al is a keen cook and will often whip up meals for the 21-year-old – who shares his passion for food – but his latest kitchen creation for Nick divided his followers.
On Thursday, Al posted a photo of the breakfast he cooked Nick; crispy bacon, a cheese omelet, and a croissant, alongside a glass of orange juice to wash it all down. "For Nick this morning after his morning run, cheese omelette, bacon and a croissant," the NBC star captioned the pic.
However, his breakfast choices for Nick appeared to spark controversy among his followers. Many hailed Al as the "best dad" for his devotion to Nick, but there were some who considered the hearty meal a parenting failure.
"Maybe you're setting his diet for midlife crisis as failing," one replied, adding: "Maybe a scrambled egg without cheese, whole grain seeded toast & tomato slices? Just a thought. Diet habits are hard to change. Coming from a gal that was raised on biscuits & gravy, ham hocks & beans, and buttery cornbread."
Al was quick to defend himself in his response to his follower, writing: "Thanks for the concern. He just had returned from a 3 mile run. He did a :30 Peloton after that. Works as a groundskeeper at a local ballpark, comes home, does another run and eats really sensibly for lunch and dinner. He makes great choices."
Al and his wife, Deborah Roberts, dropped Nick off at college in Vermont last year and shared the bittersweet moment on Instagram. "Wednesday wonder. After all the hard work. All the discipline. All the dreaming. All the prayers. His moment to soar has come. (I'm not crying. I promise.)," Deborah captioned a photo of her, Al, and Nick in front of a packed car trunk.
"Pride doesn't even begin to describe this day Nick Roker. The journey continues," she added. The news was made even more special since Nick, who is the youngest of Al's three children, is "somewhere on the (autism) spectrum and maybe obsessive-compulsive," the TV star previously told Guideposts magazine.
At the time, Al added: "But those labels can be frustrating; they don't begin to describe who Nick really is." Al doesn't deny it can sometimes be hard, but he is continuously admiring his youngest child.
"Do I get frustrated with my son sometimes? You bet," Al admitted. "But then I remember my dad, how understanding he was. And Deborah reminds me that I have to show my son not only that I love him but that I like him as well. More than that, I admire him."