Report: Alex Trebek Doesn’t Have Plans to Step Down as ‘Jeopardy’ Host

Alex Trebek poses in the press room at the 46th annual Daytime Emmy Awards at the Pasadena Civic Center in Pasadena, Calif., on May 5, 2019. Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

There has been speculation that longtime “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek is looking to step down amid his fight with cancer.

But, according to a report from TMZ, sources close to the show said that nearly three months of “Jeopardy!” shows have been taped so far, meaning it will continue until December at the very least.

The report noted that Trebek, 79, will tape the show twice this week and is “upholding his perfect attendance record.”

Overall, he isn’t planning on stepping down from the popular ABC game show, it said.

The update comes about a week after he told Canadian broadcaster CTV that chemotherapy is causing him to form sores around his mouth, making it hard to speak. He said he might be forced to leave the show amid his cancer battle, which he revealed several months ago.

Alex Trebek accepts the award for outstanding game show host for "Jeopardy!" at the 46th annual Daytime Emmy Awards at the Pasadena Civic Center in Pasadena, Calif., on May 5, 2019. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

“I’m sure there are observant members of the television audience that notice also, but they’re forgiving,” Trebek told CTV, referring to the chemotherapy symptoms.

“But,” he added, “there will come a point when they (fans and producers) will no longer be able to say, ‘It’s OK.'”

He said he’s not afraid of death.

“I’ve lived a good life, a full life, and I’m nearing the end of that life… If it happens, why should I be afraid of that?” he said in the interview on Oct. 4.

Trebek said that while he is persisting in his treatment, he realizes he cannot do it forever.

“I’m hanging in,” he explained. “So we’re back on the chemo and we’ll see if the numbers go down. And if they do … they can’t keep doing it forever of course.

“They’ll have to find a new protocol or whatever to administer. We’ll play it by ear and keep chugging along until we either win or lose.”

Trebek, a father of two children, has hosted “Jeopardy!” since 1984, turning it into a ratings juggernaut.

In March, he revealed that he was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer and assured people he would continue to fight and keep working.

Alex Trebek speaks at the 44th annual Daytime Emmy Awards at the Pasadena Civic Center in Pasadena, Calif,, April 30, 2017. The Canadian Press/AP/Chris Pizzello/Invision

Months later, he told People magazine that doctors were shocked by how well the chemotherapy treatment was working on his tumors.

“It’s kind of mind-boggling,” he said at the time. “The doctors said they hadn’t seen this kind of positive result in their memory … some of the tumors have already shrunk by more than 50 percent.”

In another interview, he recalled the moment he was diagnosed.

“I lost about 12 pounds in a week. And my numbers went sky high, much higher than they were when I was first diagnosed,” he told ABC News. “So the doctors have decided that I have to undergo chemo again and that’s what I’m doing.”

The Mayo Clinic says pancreatic cancer generally “spreads rapidly to nearby organs.”