Alex Trebek Gets Candid on Health, Reveals Possible ‘Jeopardy!’ Exit
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Viewers were saddened to learn earlier this year that Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek is fighting stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and now that he’s started a new round of chemo, viewers are questioning how much longer he’ll be on the show.
The host himself set the record straight in a candid interview with Canada’s CTV News in which he discusses the outlook of his condition, what it means for hosting, and much more.
“I’m not afraid of dying,” he said openly. “One thing they’re not gonna say at my funeral as a part of a eulogy was ‘[he was] taken from us too soon.’ I’m 79 years old, so I’ve lived a good life, a full life and I’m nearing the end of that life,” he added.
“If it happens, why should I be afraid of that?”
He also expressed some regret with making his diagnosis public. “A lot of people are coming to me looking for help and reassurance,” he admitted. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough or intelligent enough to help alleviate that despair.”
Of continuing to host Jeopardy!, he said, “I will keep doing it as long as my skills do not diminish and they have started to diminish.
“I talk to the producers about this all the time now. I say, ‘Look, I’m slurring my words. My tongue doesn’t work as much, as well as it used to. The chemo has caused sores inside my mouth. It makes it difficult for me to speak and enunciate properly,'” he detailed.
But Trebek says that the crew is encouraging him to continue as they don’t notice these changes. “I’m sure there are observant members of the television audience that notice also, but they’re forgiving,” he added. “There will come a point when they will no longer be able to say, ‘It’s OK.'”
For now, Trebek will continue his hosting on Jeopardy! but it seems like fans should anticipate him taking at least some time off soon.
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