“Jeopardy!” will soon begin production on the first new episodes since the death of beloved host Alex Trebek.
An announcement on the game show’s official Twitter account revealed that famed contestant and “Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time” champion Ken Jennings would be the first of multiple familiar faces to take on hosting duties when the show resumes.
“We will resume production on 11/30 with a series of interim guest hosts from the Jeopardy! family – starting with Ken Jennings,” the tweet read. “Additional guest hosts to be announced.
“Alex believed in the importance of ‘Jeopardy!’ and always said that he wanted the show to go on after him. We will honor his legacy by continuing to produce the game he loved,” executive producer Mike Richards added.
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View GalleryKen’s episodes will begin airing next year following three weeks of programming in celebration of Alex’s work.
“As we remember and celebrate the life of Alex Trebek, we will air 10 of his best episodes the weeks of 12/21 and 12/28, and air his final week of episodes starting 1/4,” a “Jeopardy!” tweet read.
As we remember and celebrate the life of Alex Trebek, we will air 10 of his best episodes the weeks of 12/21 and 12/28, and air his final week of episodes starting 1/4. https://t.co/HQaNewWa9U pic.twitter.com/aYPUOEuEwF
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) November 23, 2020
Ken responded to the news in a tweet of his own, explaining that it was impossible to fill Alex’s shoes.
“There will only ever be one Alex Trebek, but I’m honored to be helping Jeopardy! out with this in January,” he wrote.
There will only ever be one Alex Trebek, but I'm honored to be helping Jeopardy! out with this in January. https://t.co/2m2b5IQnkw
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) November 23, 2020
Alex died on Nov. 8 at age 80, 20 months after he announced that he was battling stage IV pancreatic cancer.
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