Alex Trebek is back at work, just as he said he would be, nearly one week after sharing his stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
Tuesday was the first scheduled day of production at “Jeopardy!” since Trebek’s announcement last Wednesday.
“We are taping today, and Alex is here and behind his lectern as scheduled,” a spokeswoman for the beloved quiz show said Tuesday.
“Jeopardy!” occupies a stage on the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, California. The show normally has two production days a week, when multiple episodes of the daily show are taped in a row.
So the show remains on track, which is consistent what Trebek said in his taped announcement.
“I’m going to fight this,” he said. “And I’m going to keep working, and with the love and support of my family and friends, and with the help of your prayers, also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease.”
Trebek quipped that “I have to” beat it “because under the terms of my contract, I have to host ‘Jeopardy!’ for three more years.”
Last fall he extended his contract through 2022.
The TV industry and fans around the world have rallied around Trebek. The Twitter and Facebook accounts for “Jeopardy!” posted a thank you message last Friday.
“The outpouring of good wishes and support in response to Alex’s recent health news has been humbling and overwhelming,” the show wrote. “Please know that your messages are being conveyed to him and are deeply appreciated. From everyone at Jeopardy! – thank you.”
Veteran political analyst Jeff Greenfield, who once appeared on the game show, said on Sunday’s “Reliable Sources” that Trebek rewards knowledge with a show that is an “oasis” in a “vast wasteland” of TV.
Trebek “really deserves not just our wishes and our hopes that he beats the odds, but real thanks for putting this on the air” for 35 years, Greenfield said.
