Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek has kept his promise to ‘keep working’ by returning to the set of the long-running trivia show after announcing that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Trebek, 78, was back in front of the camera on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the show confirmed, saying, ‘Alex is here and behind his lectern as scheduled.’
Trebek posted a message on YouTube on March 6, saying: ‘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.’
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek has kept his promise to ‘keep working’ by returning to the set of the show on Tuesday, after announcing last week that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Trebek is pictured on the set of Jeopardy! in a file photo from April 21, 2012
Trebek shared the message personally with his many fan on Jeopardy’s YouTube channel.
‘[W]ith 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,’ he said.
‘Truth told, I have to! Because under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years!
‘So help me. Keep the faith and we’ll win. We’ll get it done. Thank you.’
Trebek, 78, returned to filming after announcing on March 6 that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Trebek has been the host of Jeopardy! for 35 seasons. Trebek is pictured in a still image from the video where he shared the news of his diagnosis
Trebek, who has been the host of Jeopardy! for 35 seasons, will immediately begin chemotherapy treatment, TMZ reported.
The syndicated program is viewed by 23 million people each week, making it the top-rated quiz show on U.S. television.
Jeopardy! is produced by Sony Pictures Television Sony, a division of Sony Corp, and distributed by a division of CBS Corp.
The show is recorded on the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, California.
‘The show normally has two production days a week, when multiple episodes of the daily show are taped in a row,’ a spokesperson said.
On Monday, the official Jeopardy Instagram account shared a photo of Trebek with television writer and producer Norman Lear, teasing an episode that aired later that day in which an entire category was devoted to Lear.
It’s not clear how far in advance the show films, so the date the photo was taken is not known.
On Monday, the official Jeopardy Instagram account shared a photo of Trebek (right) with television writer and producer Norman Lear (center), teasing an episode that aired that day
In the years leading up to Trebek’s recent announcement of his cancer diagnosis, the Ontario native has had a few health scares.
In December 2017, he underwent brain surgery after he was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Trebek was experiencing complications from a fall the month before when he hit his head.
Trebek is seen above during his first season hosting the successful quiz show in 1984
The syndicated program is viewed by 23 million people each week, making it the top-rated quiz show on US television
Trebek has been married to his wife Jean Currivan Trebek for 29 years. The couple is seen above in Hollywood in November 2014
On December 16 of that year, he underwent surgery to remove a subdural hematoma, which occurs when there is a build-up of bleeding on the brain usually after a head injury.
In 2015, he needed to host Jeopardy! sitting down due to a knee replacement that he underwent. In 2012, he suffered a mild heart attack.
Trebek is married to his wife of 29 years, Jean Currivan, with whom he shares two children – Matthew, 29, and Emily, 27.
Matthew Trebek is the owner of the popular Mexican eatery Oso in New York City.
Emily works in real estate in Los Angeles, according to PEOPLE.
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