The legendary “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek passed away on Sunday at the age of 80 following a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Now, the longtime game show has announced when his final episode will air while also addressing the prospect of replacing him as host.
“Jeopardy!” released an official statement to Fox News [1] saying that the final episode hosted by Trebek will air on Christmas Day next month. He filmed this episode on October 29, which was his last day in the studio. The show also made it clear that it will not be announcing plans regarding a new host at this time.
The following statement was released by Mike Richards, “Jeopardy’s!” executive producer:
“This is an enormous loss for the JEOPARDY! staff, crew and all of Alex’s millions of fans. He was a legend of the industry that we were all lucky to watch night after night for 37 years. Working beside him for the past year and a half as he heroically continued to host JEOPARDY! was an incredible honor. His belief in the importance of the show and his willingness to push himself to perform at the highest level was the most inspiring demonstration of courage I have ever seen. His constant desire to learn, his kindness, and his professionalism will be with all of us forever.”
Trebek had previously been asked who he wanted to replace him.
“It’s probably going to be a woman, somebody younger, somebody bright, somebody personable, somebody with a great sense of humor,” he said, adding jokingly, “So I nominated Betty White.”
Getting serious, Trebek suggested CNN’s Laura Coates, L.A. Kings announcer Alex Faust and TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz as potential replacements for him.
Earlier this year, Trebek was asked what he hopes his legacy will be after hosting “Jeopardy!” since 1984.
“He was a nice guy and that he was the best kind of quiz show host in that he always seemed to be rooting for the contestants,” Trebek replied. “He wanted them to perform at their best because if they did, that would make the show a success and he would be able to enjoy the success of the program in that regard.”
This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com [2] and is used by permission.
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