Alex Trebek Memoir To Debut Day Before ‘Jeopardy’ Host’s 80th Birthday This Summer

Apr 15, 2020 by apost team

Famous for hosting the long-running American game show Jeopardy!, Alex Trebek has written a memoir that is slated for release on July 21, one day before the host’s 80th birthday. Trebek, who has been battling stage four pancreatic cancer, decided to write the book following an outpouring of support from his fans after he announced his diagnosis in March 2019.

According to Today, the 79-year-old television personality has resisted writing a memoir for years, and it was only after fans encouraged him in 2019 that Trebek finally acquiesced to fans’ pleas. Simon and Schuster are publishing Trebek’s memoir, titled The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life, which will include a number of anecdotes about the host’s private life, according to a publisher news release. Topics the publisher listed will include “marriage, parenthood, education, success, spirituality and philanthropy.”

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For fans of the show, the memoir will also address the questions he gets asked most by fans: why did he cut off his signature moustache, what does he think about famous contestants Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer and what are Trebek’s thoughts on Will Ferrell's Saturday Night Live Impersonation. And in true Jeopardy! fashion, Trebek structured the novel-like memoir with each chapter title asking a question, mirroring the show’s format, according to the publisher’s release.

Simon and Schuster’s Executive Editor, Sean Manning, who acquired audio rights for the book, commented on the unique need for Trebek’s book during these times of historic “uncertainty” in the publisher’s release.

“Today, when there is so much uncertainty and turmoil in the world, Alex Trebek is a beacon of stability and positivity,” he said. “This wise, charming and inspiring book is further evidence why he has long been considered one of the most beloved and respected figures in entertainment.”

Trebek first announced his life-changing cancer diagnosis a year ago, and just last month, the host released a candid video update in which the television star spoke to the challenges and realities of the diagnosis. In the video, Trebek noted that the one-year survival rate for stage four pancreatic cancer is 18 percent, adding that he was happy to have survived and passed that marker.

"There were moments of great pain, days when certain bodily functions no longer functioned, and sudden, massive attacks of great depression that made me wonder if it really was worth fighting on,'' Trebek said in the video. Despite the video’s serious tone, Trebek ended the update on a hopeful, positive note, leaving viewers with a piece of advice.

"You know, my oncologist tried to cheer me up the other day,'' Trebek said in the video. "He said, 'Alex, even though the two-year survival rate is only 7%, he was certain that one year from now the two of us would be sitting in his office celebrating my second anniversary of survival.'

"And you know something? If I, no, if we — because so many of us are involved in this same situation — if we take it just one day at a time with a positive attitude, anything is possible."

Trebek has two children, Emily, 27 and Matthew, 29, and he lives with his wife of 30-years, Jean Currivan in Los Angeles, California, according to Today.

Are you planning to read Alex Trebek's memoir? What are you most excited for about the new book? Let us know and pass this on to all your Jeopardy-watching friends and family members.