‘Jeopardy!’ guest host Robin Roberts remembers Alex Trebek

Robin Roberts is the guest host of

Robin Roberts is the guest host of “Jeopardy!” this week. (Instagram)

Jeopardy! guest host Robin Roberts couldn’t let Thursday’s game air without a mention of former longtime host Alex Trebek, who would have been celebrating his 81st birthday. Trebek died in November 2020, a year and a half after disclosing that he had pancreatic cancer.  

“Today is a special day. It’s July 22 and would have been Alex Trebek’s 81st birthday,” Roberts said at the top of the show. “He was a kind, intelligent and philanthropic man, which is why I am incredibly proud to say we’ve raised nearly $100,000 for Be the Match! a wonderful charity that is dedicated to helping every patient get the life-saving transplant they need. Alex loved this game, so let’s celebrate him and his legacy by playing the game he loved.”

Roberts is one of several people who have served as host since Trebek’s death. Over the last few months, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers; talk show host Dr. Mehmet Oz; actress Mayim Bialik; journalist Katie Couric; Bill Whitaker, of 60 Minutes; Today‘s Savannah Guthrie; George Stephanopoulos, of Good Morning America; CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Anderson Cooper; and Jeopardy! executive producer Mike Richards have all read the clues. Even masters of the game, such as Buzzy Cohen and Ken Jennings (who officially holds the Greatest of All Time title), have taken a turn. There are still a few guest hosts to go, including actor and former Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton — who fans have been asking for — as well as David Faber, the co-host of CNBC’s Squawk on the Street, and Fox sportscaster Joe Buck. The show is expected to make a decision on who will permanently fill the role by next month, according to TV Line.

Still, there’s not a chance that the Canadian-born Trebek, who began hosting the show in 1984, will be forgotten anytime soon.

Cohen and Bialik were two of the many who noted his birthday.

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