Alex Trebek, the television treasure and host of Jeopardy! who died earlier this month, pre-recorded one final video for all of us. The social media accounts of Jeopardy! released it on Thanksgiving Day.
The short clip begins with Trebek thanking his 96-year-old announcer Johnny Gilbert, then addressing the camera to offer a message of hope. “In spite of what America and the rest of the world is experiencing right now, there are many reasons to be thankful,” Trebek said, his voice a little raspy.
“There are more and more people extending helpful hands to do a kindness to their neighbors and that’s a good thing,” he continued. “Keep the faith. We’re gonna get through all of this, and we will be a better society because of it.”
Trebek’s posthumous video epistle was well-received on Thanksgiving (“I’m not crying, you’re crying” was a common comment), a further reminder of just how beloved Trebek was by pretty much everyone.
Last week Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings was announced as the first “interim” host for the post-Trebek era, which starts shooting on November 30. He appears to be the obvious choice as a replacement host, but a grass-roots push to get LeVar Burton reading answers has raised over 100,000 signatures. The former Star Trek and Reading Rainbow star has remarked that he is flattered by the support.
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