Al Roker can’t stay away from the Today show — even on his day off!

The 71-year-old weatherman surprised his co-hosts on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at Rockefeller Center despite being absent from the NBC morning show.

Roker popped up (literally) during the 3rd Hour of Today, which he normally co-hosts, while Sheinelle Jones, Craig Melvin and Dylan Dreyer were interviewing Broadway star Jordan Litz. Roker stood still behind Litz until his co-hosts noticed him in the window of Studio 1A.

“I gotta be honest with you, it’s hard to keep track and focus, because this guy,” Melvin, 46, said, pointing to Roker in the window.

“Oh my God, Al Roker,” Jones, 47, exclaimed. “Thanks for coming in to work today, buddy.”

“We’re doing a show!” Melvin shouted to Roker.

Jones shared the reason for Roker’s absence from the show, saying, “In his defense he got in really late last night, so we’re letting him sleep in.”

But Roker didn’t stop there, moving around the outside of the studio until he was seen standing behind Melvin and Jones.

“What is wrong with your friend?” Jones teased of Roker to Melvin. “He keeps popping up everywhere.”

“Al Roker, he couldn’t come to work today, but he could hang outside the studio,” Melvin quipped.

Later in the show, Roker came inside Studio 1A, walking onto the set with a wave. “I’d love to stay, but I’ve gotta go. We’ve got things to do,” he said.

Melvin joked that Roker was practicing “early retirement” by doing just a minute of the morning show.

In Sept. 2024, Roker assured PEOPLE that he has no plans to retire at this time.

Though he knows “that time will come,” he assured PEOPLE that it’s not quite yet. “I don’t feel like that’s my time yet, but who knows. Maybe a year or two. Maybe not, but I’m enjoying it. I love this,” Roker said at the time. “You don’t get off the train until the last stop.”