‘Jeopardy’ Host Alex Trebek Suggested Female News Anchor Be His Replacement
Jeopardy! is one of the world’s most popular and long-running game shows. The show has been around, in one form or another, since the early sixties, and generations of fans have grown up recognizing the format and iconic theme music.
Alex Trebek has been an invaluable part of Jeopardy! for decades, and for many, he is what has made the show so popular. However, Trebek has been experiencing some health issues, and with his time on the show very likely limited, he is looking ahead to a possible replacement in the years to come.
Alex Trebek has been involved with ‘Jeopardy!’ for decades
Trebek is a Canadian-American actor and television personality. Born in 1940, he studied philosophy in college before turning his attention to a career in broadcasting.
Early on in his career, Trebek hosted TV shows such as Strategy, The Wizard of Odds, Double Dare, and The $128,000 Question. All throughout the late sixties and seventies, Trebek worked hard, becoming a familiar face for many television viewers.
In 1984, Trebek was hired as the host for the newest incarnation of Jeopardy! The show had debuted in 1964 but had gone through a few format shakeups before ultimately changing up the broadcast hour and bringing Trebek on board. Ever since 1984, Trebek has been an ever-present force on the show, his soothing voice and calming demeanor helping contestants to give it their best shot, and celebrating big wins right alongside them.
He has won multiple awards during his time on the show, including trophies for his work as a game show host and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Will Alex Trebek retire soon?
To many viewers, it seems as though Trebek is immortal, and that he will be hosting Jeopardy! forever. However, the host has been battling some major health issues over the past few years.
In early 2019, Trebek announced to his viewers that he had been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer, but that he had every intention of fighting the disease with everything in him.
Although predictions for Trebek were dire in the early weeks of his diagnosis, in March 2020, the host revealed that he had successfully survived a full year of cancer treatment and that he was continuing to fight the aggressive disease. He also admitted that he wasn’t immediately planning on retirement — but as the host nears the age of eighty, it seems inevitable that showrunners will need to find a replacement sooner than later.
Whom did Alex Trebek suggest as his replacement?
There have been a number of names floated around as possible replacements for Alex Trebek as the host for Jeopardy! Some fans have suggested Ken Jennings, the show’s reigning champion, while others have recommended CNBC’s David Faber, Alex Faust, Jeff Goldblum, or even Bryan Cranston.
Still, Trebek himself might have given a hint in 2018 as to whom he prefers as his eventual replacement. CNN Legal Analyst Laura Coates is a well-respected television personality and the one that Trebek has name-dropped her as a potential successor.
Coates was asked about the opportunity shortly after Trebek mentioned her name, and she admitted that as a “lifelong fan” of Jeopardy! she is “humbled and honored” by the fact that Trebek would consider her to step into his iconic shoes. Coates didn’t state outright that she would take the job, or if she is in talks with showrunners, but it is certainly an interesting possibility for Jeopardy! fans to consider.
