Alex Trebek has stage 4 pancreatic cancer
This is one answer no one wanted to hear.
Longtime Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek learned this week he has stage four pancreatic cancer, he announced in a video message on Wednesday. "Normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging," Trebek acknowledged, but he didn't leave viewers on a sour note.
Trebek acknowledged that he joins about "50,000 people in the United States" diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year. "But I'm going to fight this," Trebek continued, pledging to "beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease." After all, "under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years," he joked.
Article continues belowThe 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.
Pancreatic cancer is known for its particularly dismal survival rates, so Trebek is counting viewers' "prayers" and "faith" to ensure this isn't his final Jeopardy!.
