Alex Trebek Not Planning to Step Down as Jeopardy Host

Jeopardy! has been a bit of a pop culture staple for decades, in part thanks to the charismatic and delightful cadence of longtime host Alex Trebek. Over the past year, Trebek’s future on the long-running game show has been a bit of a mystery, after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. While a recent interview from Trebek indicated that he might be leaving the show sooner than later, tied to complications with his second round of chemo, a new report from TMZ indicates the opposite. According to their sources, Trebek still will step down “if his ability to host the show diminishes”, but that won’t be happening in the near future.

The report specifically highlights the fact that Jeopardy! tapes nearly two-and-a-half months in advance, meaning the current crop of shows would last into December. As TMZ’s sources put it, the show would be able to withstand Trebek missing a few tapings if he were under the weather (although he has not missed a taping in 35 years).

The report also cites the comments that Trebek recently made to CTV, where he said that mouth sores from his chemo were making it difficult to speak. The sources claim that Trebek is “hypercritical” of his performance on the show, and is bothered by little missteps that occur during tapings. But even then, Trebek is able to reshoot a line if he misspeaks or flubs a certain sentence.

Back in March, Trebek posted a video announcing that he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. While the news briefly sparked rumors that the show would be looking for a replacement Jeopardy! host, Trebek offered some words of positivity about his future.

“Now normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to keep working… with the love and support of my family and friends and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease.” Trebek said in March. “So help me. Keep the faith and we’ll win. We’ll get it done. Thank you… “I have to: because under the terms of my contract, I have to host ‘Jeopardy!’ for three more years!”

In May, Trebek announced that he was in near-remission for the disease, but ultimately re-entered chemotherapy in September.

What do you think of the latest development surrounding Alex Trebek’s Jeopardy! tenure? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!