Al Roker Jokes He's Buying 18-Month-Old Granddaughter Sky a Car After She Said 'Pop Pop' for the First Time

Al Roker is spoiling his granddaughter!

On Monday, Jan. 6, the news anchor, 70, joked on the 3rd Hour of Today that he would be buying his 18-month-old granddaughter Sky an expensive gift after she called him "pop-pop" for the first time.

Speaking with co-hosts Craig Melvin and Dylan Dreyer about the winter holiday season, he said that his daughter Courtney Roker Laga, her husband Wesley and their daughter visited for a "pre-Christmas celebration."

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Roker went on to talk about their travels, saying they recently went to Paris, Los Angeles for the Rose Parade and then "ended up" at a Cheesecake Factory in New Jersey.

Commenting on a picture of Sky, Melvin noted, "She looks like she’s on the verge of saying something profound," which prompted Roker to share the big news.

"She actually said pop-pop when we were there," the proud grandfather revealed.

"You buried the lede," Melvin proclaimed before Dreyer asked, "Was that her first word?"

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"Well, it wasn’t her first word," Roker admitted. "She’s said dada and all that."

Melvin asked for clarification: "She pointed and said 'pop-pop?'"

"Yeah," Roker confirmed. "She said 'pop-pop!' So I’m done. I just bought her a car."

Roker shares Courtney, 37, with ex-wife Alice Bell and daughter Leila, 26, and son Nick, 22, with wife Deborah Roberts. His eldest daughter and Wesley welcomed Sky, who is Roker's first grandchild, in July 2023.

He described the experience as "magical" on the Today show shortly after Sky's birth. "The thing is, everyone tells you it’s going to be ‘this thing’ and you don’t know," he said. "It’s like when they tell you about having your first child. And then to hold this little girl, knowing almost 35 years ago I held her mom? ... she’s just perfect."

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On Dec. 10, 2024, the news anchor shared an adorable picture on his Instagram of Courtney and Sky smiling with Santa. He revealed in the caption that it was Sky's first time meeting Saint Nick.

"My little girl’s first visit with Santa," Roker wrote. "She did much better than her Mom’s first time with the jolly old elf!"

The baby girl made a surprise appearance on the Today show in October 2024 when Roker was joined by his eldest daughter to share their recipe for salmon burgers from their new cookbook, Al Roker’s Recipes to Live By: Easy Memory-Making Family Dishes for Every Occasion.

After cooking up their burgers, Wesley came on set holding the then 15-month-old, who had tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Oh, were you crying, sweetheart?" Roker sweetly asked as he took Sky from his son-in-law. "You wanted your pop-pop. There we go," he said while bouncing her in his arms.

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