Alex Trebek says he'll retire from Jeopardy! 'on a whim'
Facebook/Jeopardy


For more than 30 years, Alex Trebek has served as the host of Jeopardy! — but all good things must come to an end. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Trebek acknowledges that the job is his as long as he wants it, but that his retirement could be on the horizon. "When it happens it will probably happen the same way it happened when I shaved my mustache in 2001: It will happen on a whim," said Trebek. "I will decide at that moment, 'This is it. Leave me an extra 30 seconds at the end of the program so I can say goodbye.'"
"I told audiences and interviewers in the past that I will stick with it as long as I'm having a good time and as long as I feel my skills haven't diminished too much. They have diminished somewhat; I'm slower than I used to be. There are times when I have what I call senior moments, little skips in the brain process, and I understand that. But hopefully the audience is going to continue to be very forgiving of those kinds of mistakes, and I can see myself going on." [The Hollywood Reporter]
For more on Alex Trebek — including his suggestions for potential Jeopardy! successors and his strange breakfast habits — click over to The Hollywood Reporter.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine