After 35 years of hosting Jeopardy!, Alex Trebek might be about to read his last answer.
The 79-year old host, in an interview with CTV, hinted that his long tenure on the show could be coming to an end as he continues to battle Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
“I will keep doing [Jeopardy!] as long as my skills do not diminish, and they have started to diminish,” he told the network. “I notice those things and I’m sure there are observant members of the television audience that do also, but they’re forgiving. When I feel that my skills have diminished to the point that I notice and am bothered by it [I will quit]. I notice now, but I’m not as bothered by it because all of the people around me are saying ‘no, it’s ok’. But there will come a point where they will no longer be able to say [that].”
The chemotherapy he’s taking for the disease have caused sores in his mouth, making it hard for him to enunciate, causing him to slur words.
Trebek announced his diagnosis in March. He shocked the world two months later, saying the cancer was “near remission” after chemo in May. He returned to work a few months ago, but the cancer returned and his doctors ordered another round.
While he has become a rallying point for people with the disease, Trebek says he regrets being as open as he has, noting it’s hard to be a source of support for others as he handles his own diagnosis. And, as he does that, he also has been contemplating his own eventual demise—and says he’s not afraid of it.
“The thought of the pancreatic cancer does not frighten me,” he said. “I’m 79 years old. So, hey, I’ve 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.”
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