Alex Trebek reportedly has no plans to step down as the host of ‘Jeopardy!’, despite his ongoing cancer battle.
The 79-year-old TV star announced his cancer diagnosis in March, and although he was said to be nearing remission after undergoing chemotherapy, he was told in a recent doctor’s appointment that his "numbers [are] sky high", so he needs to resume the treatment.
After recently saying his health battle have caused his hosting skills to begin to "diminish", fans of ‘Jeopardy!’ have been concerned that Alex will be forced to step away from hosting the game show – which he has helmed for 35 years – but it has now been reported that won’t be the case.
A ‘Jeopardy!’ production source has told TMZ that the show tapes over two months in advance and currently have shows ready to air well into December, meaning that if Alex needs to take a few days off for health reasons, it won’t throw the show into disarray.
So far, the TV host has been taping twice a week, and is upholding his perfect attendance record, which has seen him attend every single taping in the past 35 years.
Alex had also worried fans when he claimed he had mouth sores which were making it difficult to speak, but the production source tells TMZ he’s just being "hypercritical" of his performance.
The source says little missteps that are common on other shows bother him, and any mistakes he might make are nothing out of the ordinary.
Earlier this month, Alex admitted he wasn’t sure how much longer he’ll be able to work on the game show, because his health is beginning to deteriorate.
He said: "I can be sitting in my dressing room and I get up and I’m not able to move, but then all of a sudden when Johnny says, ‘Now here is the host of Jeopardy!, Alex Trebek,’ OK, lets go! I will keep doing it as long as my skills do not diminish, and they have started to diminish."
Alex Trebek won’t step down from Jeopardy! host role
