Alex Trebek's net worth: How much money did 'Jeopardy!' host have when he died? A look at his massive fortune
On Sunday, November 8, the world woke up to some sad news. Alex Trebek, known for being the host of the popular show ‘Jeopardy!’, died at 80. The show from their official handle tweeted, “Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex.”
Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex. pic.twitter.com/Yk2a90CHIM
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) November 8, 2020
As reported by CNN, the cause of death was not immediately announced. In March 2019, Trebek had revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. Trebek is survived by his wife, Jean, whom he married in 1990, and his three children. The report states, over 37 seasons, Trebek hosted more than 8,200 episodes of ‘Jeopardy!’, the most by a presenter of any single TV game show, according to a statement from Sony Pictures. He became the host of the show in 1984.
“He loved that 'Jeopardy!' popularized intelligence and it was important for him,” Mike Richards, the show's executive producer, told CNN. Trebek's last day in the studio was October 29, according to Sony Pictures. The episodes hosted by Trebek are set to air through December 25. "The show is not announcing plans for a new host at this time," the statement from Sony Pictures said.
What is Alex Trebek’s net worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Trebek's net worth was $75 million and his annual salary was $18 million. According to Nicki Swift, this equals to about $78,000 per episode. The website states that he typically shot five episodes a day, the outlet added that up to $391,000 of earnings per day of filming. In 2016 he listed his 30-acre lake home in Nacimiento, California, for $1.4 million.
In June 2020, it was reported by Good Morning America, that Trebek and his wife, Jean, donated $500,000 to Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission, a local homeless outreach organization. But it wasn’t about the money for Trebek. While talking about his autobiography ‘The Answer Is...: Reflections on My Life’ in July 2020 with NPR, Trebek said, “I always felt that I had nothing particularly relevant to say to our viewers. I'm just a quiz show host who's been doing the same job for 36 years."
However, his revelation of having stage IV pancreatic cancer had got a lot of support from the audience. "The outpouring from our viewers after I revealed my diagnosis ... that caught me by surprise and that humbled me a great deal.” He said, "I started recollecting things that I had not given any thought to in many, many years. And it felt good. It was a way of reviewing my entire life, and that just brought me a great deal of satisfaction."
Speaking about confronting his mortality, Trebek had said, “If I were 25 or 30, I'd be fighting like mad every day to overcome this diagnosis. But age does influence you.” He continued, “I'm 80 years old and I've lived a great life. I have a marvelous family. I've had a fantastic career in terms of finances, in terms of acclaim within the television community. I have no reason to complain, whatsoever.” Trebek added, “So I think that does influence a person's outlook. ... You just say, boy, I've got to be thankful for what God has given me so far.”