From the first time Alex Trebek revealed he was battling cancer and knew that his time on Jeopardy! would come to an end, he has made sure to plan for his final show – and he even nominated one famous face to be his replacement.
With the passing of Trebek on Sunday, November 8th, 2020 at the age of 80, many have wondered when they will see his final episode and what his words of inspiration and love will be. He previously had shared what he expects for his final goodbye during a television special.
Alex Trebek first revealed in the spring of 2019 that he had been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. During the television special titled What Is Jeopardy!? Trebek explained that facing his now “closed-ended life” has been difficult.
“Most of us have open-ended lives, we don’t know when we’re going to die. Because of the cancer diagnosis, it’s no longer an open-ended life, it’s a closed-end life because of the terrible statistics, survival rates for pancreatic cancer.”
The 79-year-old was the host of Jeopardy! for 36 incredible years and hundreds of episodes. When speaking about what his final episode would entail, Trebek said:
“It’ll be a significant moment but I’ve kind of, in my mind, rehearsed it already. And 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.”
“I will say my good-byes and I will tell people: ‘Don’t ask me who is going to replace me, because I have no say in that whatsoever. But I’m sure that if you give them the same love and attention and respect that you have shown me for the past 30, however many years, then they will be a success, and the show will continue being a success.”
On January 8th, 2020, Trebek expanded on his thoughts for a suitable host, telling reporters for the Television Critics Association that he thought Ms. Betty White would be a fine pick!
“It’s probably going to be a woman, somebody younger, somebody bright, somebody personable, somebody with a great sense of humor, so I nominated Betty White,” Trebek said.
Betty White is set to celebrate her 99th birthday on January 17th, 2021 – but it’s unlikely she’ll take the reigns as a full-time Jeopardy! host…but who knows? She could pop in as a guest host! Plus, the two have worked together before!
Check out two clips below from when Alex Trebek guest-starred on Betty White’s show Hot In Cleveland.