Alex Trebek Opens Up About What He Hopes His ‘Jeopardy!’ Legacy Will Be

Alex Trebek has been the host of Jeopardy! for 36 years, his voice filling countless family rooms. Now as he battles some very serious health problems, he’s reflecting back on his time on the show and what he hopes his legacy will be. The “benefits of knowledge” is what he hopes people will take away from the show and that they will see how learning something new every day can help them become a better person, according to WCVB News.

The show is, of course, focused on knowledge of a wide variety of topics from pop culture to music, history, and geography. Trebek noted that all of this knowledge, even aspects that don’t seem like they’d be applicable to everyday life, do help widen one’s perspective upon life.

“Even though you are not going to use a particular bit of knowledge, information that you acquire — even though you’re not going to be able to use it in a practical way in your daily life or in your work life or at home, whatever — it becomes part of you. It enriches you and makes you a better human being and, I think, a more understanding human being.”

Trebek believes that not expanding one’s knowledge limits the way they look at the world. Learning more increases one’s acceptance of others, even those who are different.

“The more you know, the easier it will be to understand everything else that’s going on in the world,” he said.

Trebek has no immediate plans of leaving the show and has previously stated that he will continue hosting as long as his health allows. He is currently battling stage four pancreatic cancer, which he was diagnosed with in March and later informed his viewers about while on air. He has been positive about trying to beat this disease since the beginning, assuring fans he would fight it to the best of his ability.

Initially, it appeared that his cancer treatments were working and that he was nearing remission. Unfortunately, the cancer came back stronger and doctors have had to adjust his treatment plan.

As The Inquisitr previously reported, Trebek has already put some thought into what his final episode of Jeopardy! will be like and how he will say goodbye. He has no intention of making it a big ordeal but claims he will need only half a minute saved for him at the end of the show to make a final statement.