Al Roker, a veteran reporter for NBC, responded to social media haters while on live television on August 29 during MSNBC’s The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart from New Orleans, saying “screw you” to folks saying he’s too old to report on the location of Hurricane Ida in Louisiana.
While reporting from the live scene of Hurricane Ida, Roker made it a point to let his haters know he is more than prepared to do his job regardless of his age.
“Well, hey, guess what? Screw you!” Roker said.
“Try to keep up, OK? Keep up. These young punks, I will come after them. I will drop them like a bag of dirt,” he said.
.@alroker has a message for those who think he’s too old to stand outside in a hurricane! #SundayShow pic.twitter.com/v2RD6xA7ku
— The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart (@TheSundayShow) August 29, 2021
The 67-year-old was out in the middle of a storm wearing a heavy rain jacket and standing strong while fighting to keep his balance amid a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 150 mph.
Twitter users discussed the topic, deeming it unnecessary for a man of his age to be in that type of weather.
Al Roker is almost 70 years old, why is this necessary https://t.co/mXw6VaQXzp
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) August 29, 2021
When your producer secretly hates you pic.twitter.com/KbklcuTPID
— ♫♪ Ryan ♪♫ (@kurogane) August 29, 2021
Meanwhile, others thought that instead of it being an issue about age, it’s more about the unsafe conditions for any person to be in.
Thank you. I’m glad people care, but can we stop acting like once someone hits a certain age they stop wanting to do things?
— Chubbub (@ChubbubLIT) August 29, 2021
I will never understand the need for television journalists to stand outside in bad weather just to prove there is bad weather. Stop putting these people danger, regardless of their age.
— Steven (@StevenMartens23) August 29, 2021
It’s not that Al Roker is too old to be out there…it’s that NO ONE should be out there. It’s dangerous for him and whatever crew is out there with him. I hate watching people put themes in dangerous situations and if Al can be out there, well, so can I!
— rubybegonia (@rubybegonia14) August 29, 2021
it’s not the age, it’s the irresponsibility of telling people they needed to evacuate and then going out and standing in an oncoming storm. It’s stupid and unecessary no matter how old he is.
— boredsuburbanmom (@mamagrumpypants) August 29, 2021
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As for Roker, he explained via his Instagram post that he is more than capable of weathering the storm seeing as he’s an experienced journalist and has been trained to do so his whole life.
View this post on Instagram
Roker said, “For all those who were worried about me out on #lakepontchartrain, a) I volunteered to do this. Part of the job. b) My crew and I were safe, and we are back at our hotel, and c) for those who think I’m too old to be doing this, try and keep up.”
He further elaborated on the show and said, “I volunteered to come out here. I’ve done it for 40 years.”
“Our crews, we all make sure we are safe, and we’re not going to do something to put ourselves in harm’s way. As much as I love the weather and love NBC, I’m not going to risk my life for it.”
