Jeopardy! Releases Alex Trebek’s Posthumous Thanksgiving Day Message to America and the World

At the beginning of the month, beloved host of Jeopardy!, Alex Trebek, passed away at age 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. While his death has been hard on so many friends and fans, the fact that there were still some Trebek-hosted Jeopardy! episodes left to be aired was a nice comfort for those not ready to say goodbye. In fact, the host filmed a special Thanksgiving message for today’s episode, and the official account for Jeopardy! just shared it on social media.

“Happy Thanksgiving, ladies and gentlemen. You know, in spite of what America and the rest of the world is experiencing right now, there are many reasons to be thankful. There are more and more people extending helpful hands to do a kindness to their neighbors, and that’s a good thing. Keep the faith; we’re gonna get through all of this, and we will be a better society because of it,” Trebek says. You can watch the video in the post below:

While we still have some Trebek episodes left to enjoy, it was announced this week that Ken Jennings, the highest earner in the show’s history, will be serving as interim host of the series when it begins production again on November 30th.

“Alex believed in the importance of Jeopardy and always said that he wanted the show to go on after him,” executive producer Mike Richards said in a statement. “We will honor Alex’s legacy by continuing to produce the game he loved with smart contestants and challenging clues. By bringing in familiar guest hosts for the foreseeable future, our goal is to create a sense of community and continuity for our viewers.”

Before his passing, Trebek had made it clear that he planned to stay on Jeopardy! “as long as [his] skills have not diminished”. In fact, he filmed 35 episodes that had yet to air before he died. However, Trebek had been asked in the past whether or not he will take part in deciding his eventual replacement. “It’s not a decision that would be up to me. And I would not make myself available to presenting an opinion,” Trebek told TVLine at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in January. “I would leave it up to the people in charge.”

However, Trebek did suggest one particular pop culture icon as an option.

“When people ask me who I’d like to see replace me, I say, ‘Well, it’s probably going to be a woman, and she’ll have to be bright, she’ll have to have a good sense of humor…’” Trebek explained. “Uhhhh, let’s see…. Betty White! Betty White is my choice.”

Thanks for the encouraging Thanksgiving words, Alex.