Alex Trebek announced that he has cancer, but he plans on continuing to work through treatment.
The iconic host of Jeopardy! revealed his stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis in a video released on the show's YouTube channel on Wednesday, explaining that he wanted to prevent fans from "reading or hearing some overblown or inaccurate reports."
He explained:
Now, just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Now normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this, and 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.
Despite the diagnosis, 78-year-old Trebek was optimistic enough to joke that he's contractually obligated to continue working.
"Truth told, I have to! Because under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years!" he declared. "So help me. Keep the faith and we'll win. We'll get it done. Thank you."
Fans and fellow game show hosts took to Twitter to voice their support.
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Trebek has been hosting Jeopardy! since its revival in 1984, and renewed his contract in October 2018 to continue hosting until 2022.
