'Jeopardy!' Revealed When Alex Trebek's Final Episode Will Air Following His Death
On Sunday, Nov. 8, the world was shocked to learn Alex Trebek had died. The longtime Jeopardy! host had been one of the most consistent faces on television for over three decades, but after revealing he'd been diagnosed with Stage Four pancreatic cancer in 2019, the show confirmed Trebek passed away. However, fans can still see Trebek host new episodes of the game show for a bit longer. If you're wondering when Alex Trebek's final Jeopardy! episode will air, here's the date to mark down to be sure to catch his final appearance.
Trebek served as Jeopardy!'s beloved, even-tempered host since the show entered daily syndication on NBC in 1984. In early 2019, the host shared he had been diagnosed with Stage Four pancreatic cancer, but reassured fans that he would fight the disease and continue working on the show. "Now, normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I'm going to fight this," Trebek said in a video message. "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."
Following his diagnosis, Trebek continued to host Jeopardy! for a year and a half, but the show's official Twitter account confirmed he died of the cancer on Nov. 8, 2020.
Shortly after Trebek's death, Sony Pictures Entertainment confirmed to Variety that the host's final day filming Jeopardy! was just before Halloween, on Oct. 29, but since the episodes are filmed months ahead of time, fans will continue to see new episodes with Trebek up until the end of 2020. Trebek's final episode will air on Dec. 25, so viewers can tune into Trebek's last TV appearance on Christmas Day.
At the beginning of 2020, Trebek shared his plans on how he wanted to end his tenure on Jeopardy! with ABC News. "It’ll be a significant moment for me," he said. "But I’ve kind of, in my mind, rehearsed it already, and what I would do on that day is tell the director, ‘Time the show down to leave me 30 seconds at the end. That’s all I want.’ And I will say my goodbyes and I will tell people, ‘Don’t ask me who’s going to replace me because I have no say whatsoever. But I’m sure that if you give them the same love and attention and respect that you have shown me ... then they will be a success and the show will continue being a success. And until we meet again, God bless you and goodbye.'"
Trebek's final episode of Jeopardy! will air on NBC on Dec. 25.
