Downtowner Tony Vaughn Wins Contest and Fame As Al Roker’s Lookalike

February 26th, 2013

Tony Vaughn, a former radio personality and disc jockey who now works as a Tiffany & Co. Ambassador at the luxury jeweler on Wall Street, has fond memories of the day he was approached by a coworker to submit his photo to NBC’s Today Show doppelganger contest.

Vaughn has been stopped on the streets day-in and day-out for his uncanny resemblance to Al Roker, the morning show’s weather forecaster … but this was the first time he was asked to put the resemblance to use.

“I’m always stopped by tourists and people passing by on the street,” he said. “It’s never been annoying. I always think of it as a fun thing; I’m used to it.”

The contest sought out lookalikes through an online post for the full Today team, including Willie Geist, Savannah Guthrie, Matt Lauer, Natalie Morales and Al Roker. “To be honest, I thought that myself and the guy who was Matt Lauer’s lookalike were the closest to the real thing,” Vaughn says. “It’s ironic that I also lost a ton of weight in the past few years like [Al Roker], so I’ve been getting comments from folks for years.”

Tony Vaughn talks with Al Roker on NBC's "Today" show December 13, 2012.

Al Roker, left, looks at his mirror image, Tony Vaughn at the Today show studios.

Vaughn said he “felt right at home” when they arrived on the set at around 4 a.m., having spent time as a radio personality at WBLS 107.5, and later hosting and DJing in such cities as Paris and Tokyo. The winners were in the studio and around the set until around 1 p.m.

All the winners received accommodations and other prizes for their stunning resemblances, including a real connection with their more famous lookalikes.

“Everyone was extremely professional and friendly on the [set],” he said. “Al Roker is such a jokester. It was a very fun experience.”

--Anissa Stocks

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