Al Roker Opens Up About a Hard-Earned Lesson in Grandparenting: ‘Let Them Find Their Way’

Al Roker is a proud “pop-pop.” He got the title in July of 2023 when his daughter Courtney and son-in-law Wesley Laga welcomed Sky Lara to the world. Al was thrilled with the newest addition to his family.

While Al is a very hands on grandpa, he has learned to follow Courtney and Wesley's lead. Everyone parents differently, and they are the ones in charge. Al has enjoyed watching them become parents almost as much as he enjoys being a grandpa. He opened up about this to Today.

Al doesn't want to be a backseat parent and is taking his cues from Courtney and Welsey. "Look, our kids have to find their path," he mused. "Everybody’s parental style is different. So, you kind of let them find their way. You can gently suggest things and your kids can take that and use it or not. And once you’ve given that advice, you have to let it go, because they have to find their way."

Al couldn't stop gushing about Courtney and Welsey's parenting. "I’m very proud of my daughter and my son-in-law," Al stated. "They’re terrific parents and they’ve raised this, so far, incredibly happy baby who’s just very content and very adventurous when it comes to food and just has a very, very lovely, happy disposition."

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Al knows parenting is hard, but he is in awe of his daughter and son-in-law. "So it's like, 'Well, whatever you’re doing, you’re doing a great job. I know it feels like it’s this all-consuming gig because in fact it is. But you’re doing a great job,'" he concluded.

Al is a proud father of three. He shares Courtney, 37, with ex-wife Alice Bell. Beyond motherhood, Courtney works for Chefman and CHEF iQ as a test kitchen manager and recipe developer. Al shares Leila, 25, and Nick, 22, with wife Deborah Roberts.

Leila attended the American University of Paris majoring in journalism and fine arts. Shortly after graduating in 2021, she worked as a production runner at the 2021 Olympics in Japan.

Al's youngest, Nick, has a learning disability but has not let that hold him back. According to Al he is "somewhere on the spectrum and may be obsessive-compulsive." In 2022, he began college.