Ken Jennings got candid about the last time he saw former Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek before his death. The current host opened up during a Q&A for his book, The Complete Kennections, on August 12, in front of fans at Lake Forest Park, Washington.
Jennings told the audience that he and Trebek were backstage at Jeopardy! shortly before Alex’s death, according to MLT News. “He was, you know, sometimes in a lot of pain,” Ken Jennings shared. “Then Johnny [Gilbert] would say his name, and like magic, he would just walk out there and be Alex Trebek, you know, 37 years of sense memory and experience, and he could just turn it on.”
Jennings recalls asking Trebek how he was doing, to which he replied, “A lot of people don’t get to hear the nice things said about them after they’re gone. I’m still here.’” Jennings went on to say that Trebek used to get “tens of thousands of pieces of mail,” including quilts, letters, and remedies.
“I think he had hosted that show for decades without really realizing what he meant to us, and it was only in the final months that he saw how important he was to a massive viewing audience. And I was really touched by that.”
Jennings said that despite Trebek not being a hugger, they hugged at the end of the interaction.
“If there is a difference between my hosting and Alex, I’m, like, just not as good,” Jennings told the crowd. “It’s that I have been a contestant before. So when I see the players, I know the emotional state they’re in. It’s very intense to play Jeopardy!.”
Alex Trebek died on November 8, 2020, at the age of 80, from stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Trebek began hosting Jeopardy! in 1984 and stopped in October 2020. His last episode aired in January 2021. Ken Jennings then took over with Mayim Bialik as cohost. In December 2023, he became the sole host of the game show.
The host also gave an update on the beloved announcer, Johnny Gilbert. “Gilbert has never missed a show in 42 years,” he said. Jennings added that he is in his 90s and is in “phenomenal shape.” “That is his hair, believe it or not,” he added. However, Gilbert doesn’t come in to the studio anymore and records all of the intros from his home.
Jeopardy!, Season 42, September 8, check local listings