Al Roker hospitalized for blood clots in his legs and lungs

Longtime TV meteorologist Al Roker revealed on Friday that he suffers from blood clots in his legs and lungs that forced him to be hospitalized.

Roker, 68, was admitted to the hospital after being diagnosed with the concerning health issue.

"So many of you have been thoughtfully asking where I’ve been," Roker wrote in a post on Instagram on Friday morning. "Last week I was admitted to the hospital with a blood clot in my leg which sent some clots into my lungs."

"After some medical whack-a-mole, I am so fortunate to be getting terrific medical care and on the way to recovery," he said. "Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers and hope to see you soon. Have a great weekend, everyone."

Roker's "Today" show colleagues wished him a speedy recovery.

Savannah Guthrie said, "You're the strongest person we know. We miss you and will see you soon."

Craig Melvin wrote, "Love you brother…can’t wait to have you back!"

According to the Mayo Clinic: "Blood clots form when certain parts of your blood thicken, forming a semisolid mass. This process may be triggered by an injury or it can sometimes occur inside blood vessels that don't have an obvious injury. Once these clots form, they can travel to other parts of your body, causing harm."

Roker – who has been the "Today" show meteorologist since 1996 – battled against weight issues. He underwent gastric bypass surgery in March 2002. By the end of that year, Roker had lost a whopping 100 pounds.

This past June, Roker said that he had dropped an additional 45 pounds. He credited daily walks and eating fewer carbohydrates for his weight loss.

"Exercise, and not extreme exercise — we’re doing that 30-day walking challenge — that improves, I think, your mental health, combined with a low-carb diet," Roker explained. "I’ve lost about 45 pounds in the last several months. I do about 100 grams of carbs a day and I walk."

Roker has been a proponent of the Start Today Walking Challenge, which encourages people to get out and take regular walks to stay healthy.

Roker had previously been diagnosed with prostate cancer in November 2020. He underwent a five-hour surgery, in which his prostate and surrounding tissue and lymph nodes were removed by doctors.

"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," Roker said during a February 2021 appearance on the "Kelly Clarkson Show." "I had a great surgeon from Memorial Sloan Kettering, Dr. Vincent Laudone. He feels we got it all."

"I'm waiting for bloodwork and once my PSA level is, like, below .05 that means there’s no prostate cancer at this moment," the popular weatherman told Kelly Clarkson. "I went public with [my diagnosis] 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."