Ryan Reynolds Reveals His Last Conversation With Alex Trebek

Jeopardy! fans often took for granted that host Alex Trebek would be around as long as the show [...]

By Patrick Cavanaugh

Jeopardy! fans often took for granted that host Alex Trebek would be around as long as the show was, even when he opened up about his battles with pancreatic cancer, as his perseverance and commitment to still hosting the show made it seem as though he could take on anything. Fans were shocked earlier this month when news emerged that he had passed away, with one of those fans also being one of Trebek's biggest cheerleaders, Ryan Reynolds. The actor recently recalled the last conversation he shared with Trebek before his death and how his passing helped remind him not to take life for granted.

"It forces you to look around a little bit and see the people and the faces that are in our lives every day and really remember not to taking them for granted. I was talking to Alex on the phone two months ago, and that was amazing then just like that he was gone," Reynolds shared with Extra. "It was a conversation about one of the shows he had coming up. I had been on the show a number of times, he was asking me about perhaps coming on again. I was shooting in Atlanta and was unable to do it… When you speak with people like that that you grew up watching and suddenly you are talking to them on the phone, you start to reflect."

Following Trebek's reveal last year about his health struggles, audiences automatically began to wonder if that meant a new host would step in to take over the hosting duties, only for Trebek to confirm he would host for as long as he was physically able. Earlier this year, Ryan Reynolds made an appearance on the show in the form of video clues celebrating the "Greatest Canadiens."

In the wake of that appearance, some audiences even championed for Reynolds to take over as the host of the series.

"You just never know; tomorrow is not a given," Reynolds added. "Hug them tight, the people in your life. It was really shocking and sad. Obviously, he was sick and it wasn't totally, wildly unexpected. It's still heartbreaking nonetheless. It's absolutely gut-wrenching."

Jeopardy! producers have confirmed that Trebek hosted enough episodes of the series before his passing to feature new installments up through Christmas.

Would you like to see Reynolds take over hosting duties on the series? Let us know in the comments below!

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