‘Jeopardy!’ Host Alex Trebek Opens Up About Cancer Diminishing His Host Skills: “I’m Not Afraid Of Dying”

In a recent candid interview with CTV News, ‘Jeopardy!’ host #AlexTrebek opened up about his thoughts on the reality of death, regretting to go public with his diagnosis, and his hosting skills diminishing. 

Trebek, who first announced his stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis back in March and is currently undergoing his second round of chemotherapy, said going public is something he regrets. He said, “There are moments when I have some regrets about having gone public with it because there’s a little too much of Alex Trebek out there, and I regret that.”

He added that in many ways, he’s become a spokesperson for pancreatic cancer and said that a lot of people are coming to him looking for help, reassurance and it’s “tough” to be as optimistic as you can when the other person feels none of that optimism.

The TV icon shared he plans to host ‘Jeopardy!’ as long as he can, “I will keep doing (the show) as long as my skills do not diminish. And they have started to diminish.” Trebek said, acknowledging that the side effects of chemo are that his words will occasionally slur, and he sometimes is not able to enunciate properly. He added, “When I feel my skills have diminished to the point where I notice and am bothered by it because all the people around me are saying, ‘No, it’s OK!’ But there will come a point when they’re no longer able to say ‘It’s OK.’”

Further, the long-time game-show host shared that he is not scared of death and that he has lived a full life. Trebek said, “The thought of the pancreatic cancer does not frighten me. I’m not afraid of dying. One thing they’re not going to say at my funeral as part of a eulogy: ‘He was taken from us too soon.’ I’m 79 years old. I have lived a good life, a full life, and I’m nearing the end of that life. I know that. I’m not going to delude myself.”

Trebek has hosted the daily syndicated version of #Jeopardy since it premiered in 1984.