‘Jeopardy!’ Alex Trebek’s Wife Breaks Silence For Late Husband
Alex Trebek has been honored with a Forever stamp. His wife, Jean Trebek, came forward to speak at the unveiling of the stamp alongside current Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings. The stamp aims to honor the life and legacy of the late Jeopardy! host. Here is what his wife had to say at the event.
Forever Stamp Honors The Late Jeopardy! Host
Ken Jennings, Jean Trebek, and Michael Elston (the Secretary of the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service) were all present at the first-day-of-issue event on Monday. The event honored late Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, who died on November 8, 2020, at the age of 80.
Alex Trebek’s Forever stamp has a question about him on it. The stamp features the infamous Jeopardy! backdrop with a clue reading, “This naturalized U.S. citizen hosted the quiz show Jeopardy! for 37 seasons.”
After the stamp was revealed, Jean Trebek stepped forward to say a few words about her late husband.
“His life had such a beautiful impact on so many people around the world, and it’s just a real honor for my family and I to be here with all of you to acknowledge that,” she said. “Alex would have felt overwhelmed with humility and joy to receive such a distinctive tribute.”
As she spoke, Jean Trebek talked about how being the host of Jeopardy! was “a labor of love for him.” She continued, saying that he always “found great pleasure” in putting the spotlight on the contestants. Jean also shared that Alex “loved getting to know his audience.”
She added, “This was a perfect time for him to share more about himself, as well as to show off his great wit.”
In addition to being the host of Jeopardy!, Jean said that Alex Trebek always thought that his most important job in the world was being a parent. He had three children: Matthew, Emily, and Nicky.
Alex Trebek Wishes He Had More Time With His Wife
Alex Trebek was born in Ontario, Canada, and got his start on television at the Canadian Broadcasting Company in 1961. Before becoming the face of Jeopardy!, Alex hosted a few other game shows.
Fans may recall that he went through several health scares while hosting Jeopardy! He had two heart attacks and surgery to remove blood clots from his brain. The game show host also had a knee replacement and a torn Achilles tendon. In March 2019, he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
At the time, Alex acknowledged that he should make more of an effort to be active. He also mentioned retiring at that point, but admitted that he wouldn’t know what to do with himself.
“You get to a certain age, and if you’ve been doing the same show for 30 years, or the same job, whatever it is, for 30 years, wouldn’t you think about retirement?” he told People. “What am I gonna do? I’m enjoying myself and I’m having a good time with what I’m doing now, but if I were to retire, what would I do? I’d be lost.”
He joked that he would get on his wife’s nerves if he was around all of the time. The couple celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary in 2019. Despite having 29 years together, Alex Trebek said that he always wished they’d had more.
“I’m pretty satisfied with my life,” the Jeopardy! host said at the time. “But my wife Jean and I have been together almost 29 years, and I was thinking about President [George H.W.] Bush when he died, and all the comments about his life about what a nice guy he is, and how he and his wife had been together 73 years. I thought, oh my gosh … if I’d just met Jean in my 20s we could have had a longer life together.”
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