The 79-year-old says in a preview for 'What is Jeopardy? Alex Trebek and America's Most Popular Quiz Show', that he has already rehearsed his final moment on the ABC game show.
- Dec 31, 2019
AceShowbiz - It seems like Alex Trebek's last hosting on "Jeopardy!" is coming sooner than expected. The TV host, who is currently battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer, reveals that he has prepared his final goodbye on the game show.
The 79-year-old says in a preview for "What is Jeopardy? Alex Trebek and America's Most Popular Quiz Show", which is set to air on Thursday, January 2, 2020, that he has already rehearsed his final moment on the ABC show. "It'll be a significant moment for me. But I've kind of, in my mind, rehearsed it already," he shared.
"What I would do on that day is tell the director, 'Time the show down to leave me 30 seconds at the end. That's all I want.' And I will say my goodbyes and I will tell people, 'Don't ask me who's going to replace me because I have no say whatsoever. But I'm sure that if you give them the same love and attention and respect that you have shown me... then they will be a success and the show will continue being a success. And until we meet again, God bless you and goodbye.' "
Alex has been hosting "Jeopardy!" for 35 years with him signing on a contract through 2022 in November, 2018. However, a few months after the deal, he announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer, which starts to affect his hosting abilities.
"I'm sure there are observant members of the television audience that notice also, but they're forgiving," he said in an interview with Canada's CTV, noting that the chemo makes him hard to enunciate his words. "But there will come a point when they (fans and producers) will no longer be able to say, 'It's ok…,' I will keep doing it as long as my skills do not diminish, and they have started to diminish."
However, for now, Alex says that he will continue to take the stage of the long-running game show while focusing on his battle with cancer. He also teases "a new protocol...a different chemo or something in the trial stage that is not chemotherapy. I don't mind experimenting. I've got nothing to lose, so let's go for it."
What is "Jeopardy? Alex Trebek and America's Most Popular Quiz Show" will air on ABC on Thursday, Jan. 2 at 8 P.M. ET.
