Despite how important Alex Trebek is to Jeopardy! it’s clear that the show will continue once he decides to retire. While Ken Jennings has essentially hung up the signaling device following his Greatest Of All Time Tournament win, Trebek is still the host of the long-running game show despite his battle with Stage IV pancreatic cancer.
There will be a time, however, where the show goes on without the iconic host. And much like Wheel of Fortune‘s Pat Sajak, Trebek has revealed that he will not be involved in the process of picking a replacement host once he’s finally done. Trebek has been frank about his health and feelings about retirement in recent years, and that candor extended to a potential Jeopardy! without him as he talked about the show at
According to TVLine, Trebek addressed a replacement host will follow him someday, but that he won’t help those in charge figure out who it will be. And that includes, apparently, suggesting anyone for the role.
“It’s not a decision that would be up to me. And I would not make myself available to presenting an opinion,” Trebek explained to TVLine at the TCA winter press tour, following a panel Q&A for the well-watched Greatest of All Time tournament. “I would leave it up to the people in charge.”
According to other people at the show, Trebek’s intent to stay away from the decision is already well-known. Jeopardy! executive producer Harry Friedman said Trebek has already made it clear he has “no interest.”
“[Alex] really has no interest in being involved in that process,” said Friedman. “We would welcome his opinion, obviously, but he feels like it’s really not up to him. And he has said that for a long time.”
That won’t stop people from asking Trebek who should replace him, though, and he noted “it’s probably going to be a woman” but gave a pretty unlikely answer for his replacement: Betty White.
[via TVLine]
