“Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
“Hi everyone, I have some news to share with all of you and it’s in keeping with my longtime policy of being open and transparent with our ‘Jeopardy’ fan base — Just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer,” Trebek, who’s been hosting the game show for 34 years, said in a video message released Wednesday, adding he wanted to avoid any inaccurate reports about his health.
Trebek, 78, continued, “Now, normally the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this and I’m going to keep working and with the love and support from my family and friends and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease. Truth told, I have to because under the terms of my contract, I have to host ‘Jeopardy’ for three more years, so help me. keep the faith and we will win. we will get it done. Thank you.”
The news comes just as the show finished airing its All-Star tournament with former contestants including Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter.