Longtime Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek has announced in a YouTube video he has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. This week has brought about some truly awful news, and it just gets worse with this new revelation from Trebek. The popular TV personality was reportedly just informed of his cancer diagnosis, and is set to immediately begin chemo to help battle the disease. For his part, Trebek is remaining optimistic, and says he has every intention to fight this cancer and ultimately defeat it. Additionally, while he’s planning to undergo medical treatment soon, Trebek says he also plans to finish out the current season ofJeopardyin his announcement video, joking that he’s contractually obligated to do so.
“This week I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Now, normally the prognosis for this is not very encouraging. But, I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to keep working, and with the love and support of my family and friends - and with the help of your prayers, also - I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease. Truth told, I have to, because under the terms of my contract, I have to hostJeopardyfor three more years! So, help me. Keep the faith, and we’ll win. We’ll get it done.”
Alex Trebekhas not been without his health scares in recent years. He suffered two mild heart attacks in 2007 and 2012, making speedy recoveries in both cases to continue hostingJeopardy. In 2011, he had injured his Achilles tendon while chasing a burglar out of his home, which placed him in a cast for six weeks. He suffered from a fall in 2017 which required surgery on multiple occasions, with one operation removing blood clots from his brain. Still, the clearly-tough Trebek persevered through every one of these occasions, never stepping away from hostingJeopardyfor more than a short time. His new battle with cancer may end up forcing his hand, and Trebek’s insistence on finishing the current season makes it evident how much he cares for the job and his fans.
Trebek’scareer as a television hostfirst began in 1963 when he became the host of the Canadian music programMusic Hop. After hosting various Canadian programs for the next ten years, Trebek moved to the United States and began hosting the game showThe Wizard of Odds. Obviously a natural in this role, Trebek would then host many other popular TV programs, includingThe $128,000 Question,High Rollers,Battlestars, and Card Sharks. He finally found a permanent hosting gig in 1984 after being hired to host a revival ofJeopardy, and has served as the show’s official host ever since.
Throughout the entire run of Trebek’sJeopardyrevival, no other host has replaced him, even on a temporary basis. However, just last year, Trebek told Harvey Levin onObjectifiedhe was starting to consider retiring in 2020. According to Trebek himself at the time, the odds of him staying onJeopardypast 2020 were about 50/50. Still, later that year, Trebek ultimately wound up signing a contract extension to stay on the program until 2022.
While is is undoubtedly terrible news, one has to admire Trebek’s bravery. As such a beloved television personality, theJeopardyhost is going to have millions of people in his corner offering support. We wish Trebek all the best in his battle against cancer, and we thank him for his part in entertaining people across the world for the past several decades. This information comes to us fromTMZ, and you may watch Trebek’s cancer reveal video in full below.
