COVID-19: Jeopardy! To Be Filmed Without A Live Audience To Protect Host Alex Trebek Who Is Suffering From Cancer

Mar 11, 2020

As of Tuesday, Alex Trebek, who is battling stage four pancreatic cancer, will begin to host Jeopardy! without a live audience in an attempt to protect his health.

Sources close to the show told CNN that taping without a studio audience will continue indefinitely given "an abundance of caution” due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

This is especially important for Trebek given his health. In a March 4 video update posted on Twitter, Trebek spoke openly about his struggle with his cancer, saying that there have been “great moments of pain.”

"Now I'd be lying if I said the journey had been an easy one,” Trebek said in the video. “There were some good days, but a lot of not-so-good days.”

According to Cancer Research UK, cancer can weaken the immune system, making one more susceptible to diseases like the recent outbreak. Similarly, Wheel of Fortune, which traditionally caters to an older, and therefore more vulnerable crowd, has also scrapped its studio audience.

That’s not to mention that the Wheel of Fortune’s own host, 73-year-old Pat Sajak, has had health problems of his own, undergoing surgery for intestinal blockage this November according to CNN.

Beyond protecting Trebek, Sajak and the shows’ older audience members, the entertainment industry also cancelled the studio audience in an effort to limit large gatherings, which could lead to unnecessary exposure to the virus.

What do you think about Jeopardy!'s decision to scrap their studio audience? Let us know in the comments, and pass it on to your friends and family.