'That just broke me': 'Jeopardy!' Host Ken Jennings reveals his final conversation with Alex Trebek
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA: 'Jeopardy!' Host Ken Jennings revealed his last conversation with former host Alex Trebek, who died in 2020 due to pancreatic cancer in a recent interview. Before commencing his career as a host in the show, he has a history of a 74-winning streak on 'Jeopardy!' Back in 2004.
Jennings's life changed drastically after participating in the show, which even gifted him a solid relationship with Alex. He said to Vulture, "I was scheduled to come into the studio to rehearse for some games; even if Alex bounced back as he had before, he wanted somebody to fill in for him for a little while. A producer set up a call, and his voice was notably weaker than we’d ever heard it on the air, which really struck me at first."
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Further, he added, "It was a tough moment. But once you got over the timbre of the voice, he was still very much Alex — going down conversational side paths about old movies he liked. At one point, he started talking about tennis players he compared to various Jeopardy! Champions. But the thing that stuck with me is he thanked me for coming in to fill in for him. That just broke me. I said, “Alex, are you kidding? We should be thanking you. I’d take a bullet for you, Alex. I’m happy to help.” Of course, I didn’t know he would be gone within 36 hours."
Jennings stated how he felt being the first guest host after Alex's departure. He claimed, "I’d like to say it was an honor, but all of the emotions around that were just panic. He had done the job perfectly for decades, and suddenly, within weeks of his passing, I had to step in as a substitute. It was really nerve-wracking. It’s a difficult job. Even if I could figure out some of the rudiments of it, you’ve got an audience that doesn’t want to see me out there. And I totally get that. They wanted to see Alex. I still do, too, every night."
He then explained how he overcame the panic after losing Alex and adjusting to the new role. He explained, "It’s almost like being a contestant on the show — the game moves so fast, it just carries you. You can’t think about your breathing or posture, much less your legacy, because of Jeopardy! The game moves at such a clip. Alex often said, “Let’s go to work!” at the beginning of every game. That’s a pretty apt description of Jeopardy! We’ve only got half an hour to get to 61 answers and clues. Let’s go. After my first day, I called my wife and said, “Well, I’m no Alex out there.” And she responded, “You know what? Maybe he wasn’t on his first day either.” That was a really insightful moment for me. “Oh, right. You had 37 years to get really, really good at this. Maybe give yourself some allowances there, Ken.”
Jennings also detailed the cufflinks and notes Alex’s wife, Jean Trebek gave him. The host stated, "I showed up at the morning writer’s meeting where we went over all the day’s clues and responses; it’s very helpful for the host to ask the writers about pronunciations or alternate answers or phrasings." Further, he added, "One of the producers motioned to a little box that was sitting in front of me. I opened it and it was a little jewelry box with Alex’s cufflinks and a very kind note from Jean Trebek offering support. It must have been a super hard time for her, and she was thinking about the poor schmuck trying to do her late husband’s old job. That was such a lovely gesture."
He also detailed, "I have one French-cuff shirt that I wear on the show, and every time I wear it, I wear the Alex cufflinks. And I’m in his dressing room, so I’m thinking about him anyway. She’s thinking about the legacy of the show. Alex and I had a professional relationship. We weren’t, say, hanging out and going camping together, but every time I saw him, we got along well. It sure seemed like she was trying to give a sense of continuity to Jeopardy!, even after her loss and our loss as viewers."
In his first episode as the host of Jeopardy! Ken stated, "Thank you everyone — welcome to Jeopardy!" he said on the quiz show. "You know, sharing the stage with Alex Trebek was one of the greatest honors of my life. Not many things in life are perfect. But Alex did this job pretty much perfectly for more than 36 years, and it was even better up close. We were dazzled by his intelligence, his charm, his grace. Really, there's no other word for it. Like all Jeopardy! fans, I miss Alex very much. I thank him for everything he did for all of us ... No one will ever replace the great Alex Trebek."