‘Jeopardy!’ Boss Says He Found Alex Trebek ‘On the Floor, Crying in Pain’ During Cancer Battle
It’s coming up on three years since the legendary Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek lost his battle with pancreatic cancer, and his family and former co-workers have been sharing their memories of the beloved host in those final weeks.
The most recent episode of the This is Jeopardy! podcast, hosted by former contestant Buzzy Cohen, took a look back at the week Trebek announced his cancer diagnosis and the difficult months that followed.
Longtime supervising producer Lisa Broffman opened up about the moment she first heard about Trebek’s diagnosis, saying she was in the office with fellow producers Rocky Schmidt and Harry Friedman.
“Alex called, and Rocky put him on speaker phone, and Alex told us that he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and I remember Harry had a stack of papers on his lap, and he picked them up and threw them on the ground,” she said, holding back tears.
She continued, “And Alex, from the very beginning, said, ‘This is not going to affect anything; I plan on fighting this. Let’s get back to work.'”
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Alex’s daughter, Emily Trebek, talked about her father’s desire to continue working. “There was no possibility of him not working,” she shared. “That was never an option.”
Jean Trebek, Alex’s wife, said that Jeopardy! was a form of escape from his life at home, which at the time was all about his next doctor’s appointment or what pain medications he needed to take.
However, while Alex tried to keep things going as normally as possible, his cancer treatment started to take a toll.
Schmidt recalled those challenging days on set, saying, “When [Alex] was sick and taking medication… the pain the man had… you could watch him, and it’s like, ‘He’s not going to make it to the conference room table’ [for the morning meeting].”
“He would leave and go get made up and ready for the show, and everybody would look at each other and go, ‘I don’t know if we’re going to be taping today,’” Schmidt continued. “And then, somehow, he rallied.”
But between tapings, Alex would sometimes be in extreme discomfort. Schmidt recalled entering the host’s dressing room and “finding him on the floor, crying in pain.” Schmidt said he told Alex they could cancel the tapings and go home, but he would always want to push forward.
Longtime Jeopardy! announced Johnny Gilbert recalled times when he introduced Alex and “wasn’t sure if he was going to come out on the stage.”
“But the bottom line is, he did, and when he came out on stage, he was Alex Trebek,” Gilbert added.
Alex’s make-up artist Sandy Goodman recalled how one time the host’s skin looked blueish-brown due to his chemo medication. “And I thought, ‘Oh my god, what in god’s name am I going to do?'” she said before explaining how she came up with a solution to make Alex’s face a more neutral color.
“He kept up a good face right until the very end,” Friedman explained, noting that the only time Alex would “grumble” was when he lost his hair and had to wear a wig.
Alex taped his final episode of Jeopardy! on October 29, 2020, and just a little over a week later, on November 8, 2020, he passed away surrounded by his friends and family.
“The whole family was together,” Emily said. “My brother was in town. We had a few family friends over. And we sat outside at the swing that [Alex] loved, where he would sit a lot. We were all sitting there, looking at photos of old memories, old trips we took, and just kind of reminiscing on those special memories. It was surreal but nice.”
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Conversation24 Comments
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S
I do not think Alex would want all this conversation being released to the public. He was a private mlan, otherwise he would have shared these grueling happenings. We all knew what an extraordinary man he was because he kept on working as long as he was able. I remember the day he passed think that exact thought. Alex was from old school just keep working it will be okay. I miss him dearly being in my livingroom every night.
RIP Alex
Shellie
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O
I think it’s terrible after the fact to release this info. One should be able to die in peace & family left to grieve their own way!😢💔
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G
I agree with you Shellie.
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O
Don’t think that was appropriate to put out there. Let the poor man rest in peace
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P
I think this should have been kept private. Why would anyone want to take away Alex’s dignity by revealing this?
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G
I don’t think Alex would want his friends sharing such private information with the public.
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G
This info did not need to be shared. Alex conducted himself with outstanding dignity and would be appalled at this info dump.
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G
And we need to know this why? Leave the man with his dignity
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G
I don't think of Alex as losing his battle to cancer, rather he has won everlasting life. He was a good and honorable man. Let's focus on that and not on the pain. It is over and done with.
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R
Alex Trebek was the only celebrity I ever looked up to. There was just something about him that caused him to stand out. I cried the day he passed, as did many others. He will forever live in our hearts.
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R
No ones business .
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G
He was a fantastic hostess and I miss him.
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P
Do you think we all really needed to know that. You suck.
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G
While I was reading this I thought to myself ….. this should not be printed .It’s nobody’s business.. Very disappointed in the people who felt this news needed to be published!
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C
Knowing all the pain he endured & had to push through to continue as host of the game show reveals his great heart of courage & determination to carry on, no matter what!
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O
I think it's odd....everyone who thinks that those details discussed in this article shouldn't have been released....read them ...it's things that his family and those he worked with..those who knew him best ..and nothing new was written...sort of backward if you ask me....if you feel it's inappropriate....don't read it
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R
Jeopardy will never be the same without Alex. I cried the day I heard of his passing. The man had such class about him. He was really one of a kind. I still watch the show but its not the same. R.I.P Alex. You are truly missed. ❤️
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G
I think this showed what a brave man Alex was .he didn't want pity he want to go on with life .and do what made him happy .he didn't want to waste life in sorrow
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P
I really don't think I needed to know any of this.
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J
Why would you share that detail??? ☹️ Shame, SHAME on Mr. Schmidt!!
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R
I don't know who the hump is that wrote this trash, but WTF???? Why would anyone think this is appropriate???? ..I mean I knew journalism today was a nest of traitors, creeps and liars, but this is low even for them.
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P
He was simply one of the best host.
RIP ALEX!
YOU are missed. 💔
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R
He was an ordinary man probably would think it was ok? So people new that???? He went through some shit??? Like many others??
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K
A true friend to share a private, painful moment with the public.
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