“Today” show anchor Al Roker shared a viral moment with a young attendee at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday when the latter did not react to her free Radio City Rockettes ticket quite how anyone at NBC expected.
Roker introduced the young 7-year-old fan, whom he identified as Elliot, who shyly confirmed that Thursday was actually her birthday. In response, Roker asked her if she was excited to see the Rockettes, who were standing behind the legendary “Today” show anchor, to which Elliot nodded and said, “Yeah.”
“Well, guess what, Elliot? We’ve got a very special something for you,” Roker told the parade attendee, as one of the nearby Rockettes stepped up and presented the 7-year-old with a golden ticket. “Look here,” he said. “You’ve got a Golden Ticket! You get to see the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes! Are you excited?” Holding up her ticket, Elliot turned and informed Roker, “I did that yesterday!”
“You did it yesterday? Oh my golly. Well, you get to see them again,” a laughing Roker replied, to which his young guest half-heartedly responded, “Yay!” Unsurprisingly, the moment quickly went viral online. You can watch it, below.
Little girl at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has a big surprise for Al Roker when he awards her a Golden Ticket to see the Rockettes. pic.twitter.com/nQuE7V9V6a
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) November 27, 2025
Roker was not the only one charmed and surprised by Elliot’s forthrightness. After the beloved weathercaster had the young participant turn and wave to “Today” show co-anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, Guthrie remarked with a laugh, “Hey! We saw her yesterday!”
This year’s 99th edition of the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade featured 28 floats, 11 marching bands and 34 balloons. The parade changed things up a bit in 2025, adding new balloons for recognizable pop culture characters like Derpy Tiger from “KPop Demon Hunters,” Buzz Lightyear from the “Toy Story” films and video game icons Mario and Pac-Man.
Meanwhile, the parade’s star-studded celebrity lineup included stars like Jessica Chastain, Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes, Ciara, Leslie Odom Jr., Cynthia Erivo, Huntr/X and more.
