He’s Treback, baby! And he’s doing standing push-ups! Alex Trebek, the beloved host of Jeopardy! and eighth most trusted man in America, is in good health and currently filming the game show’s 36th season, according to a video released Thursday on the official Jeopardy! YouTube channel.
In the video, between shots of Trebek warming up backstage and posing with a birthday cake that says “WHO IS 79?†(he’s a Cancer-Leo cusp!), he says: “I’ve gone through a lot of chemotherapy and thankfully that is now over. I’m on the mend, and that’s all I can hope for right now.†In March, Trebek publicly announced that he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, saying that he planned to “beat the low-survival-rate statistics for this disease.†In May, not long after being honored at the 2019 Daytime Emmys, Trebek updated fans to say the cancer was in “near remission.â€
The video, which teases production of the follow-up season to the one that made James Holzhauer a household name, shows the crew and audience in good spirits, and features this gem from Trebek: “Who would I want to play me if they ever did a biographical film about me? Betty White.†So now that delightful image has been put out into the universe.
The new season couldn’t come at a better time, because according to the Jeopardy! Instagram, Trebek also just finished another major project: renovating his wife’s bathroom as a Valentine’s Day present! What a guy!
You’ll be able to shout along to new episodes of Jeopardy! on a local station near you starting September 9.