‘Jeopardy!’ Host Alex Trebek, 78, Diagnosed With Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer

‘Jeopardy!’ host Alex Trebek has sadly announced he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer in a video he recorded and released on Mar. 6.

Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, 78, released a sad but encouraging video on Mar. 6, that showed him informing his viewers that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Although he just received the life-changing news this week, the beloved television personality has insisted he’s going to keep on working on his world famous game show since he’s contracted to for the next three years, and he plans on beating the cancer even though it usually has a low survival rate.

“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,” Alex began, in the video. “I also wanted to prevent you from reading or hearing some overblown or inaccurate reports regarding my health. So therefore, I wanted to be the one to pass along this information. Now, just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.”

“Now normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to keep working,” the brave star continued. “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. 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’ll win. We’ll get it done. Thank you.”

Alex’s lighthearted and confident attitude about his diagnosis reflects why he’s been a truly memorable host of Jeopardy! since it was revived in 1984. Although the news is tough, this isn’t the first time Alex has made headlines for struggles with his health. In Oct. 2017, Alex had a bad fall and hit his head, leading to a scary subdural hematoma that caused him to undergo brain surgery. Luckily, it was a success and Alex released a video of himself talking about it in Jan. 2018.

We’re keeping Alex and everyone affected by his shocking diagnosis in our thoughts and we wish him well on his journey in fighting the disease.