‘Jeopardy!’ Champ Ken Jennings Opens Up About A Touching Moment He Shared With Alex Trebek

Reigning Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings recently won $1 million and the title of GOAT (Greatest of All Time), proving that he is the best competitor the show has ever seen. He beat out other former champs James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter for the title. Now, Jennings is opening up about a special moment he shared with the show’s longtime host Alex Trebek shortly after he received his cancer diagnosis. He revealed that how touched he was to have received so much support not only from Jennings but from people around the world.

When Trebek found out that he was battling stage four cancer in March, he knew his odds of beating the disease were not good. Nevertheless, he was determined to fight to the best of his ability. Jennings was relieved to find out that despite his condition, Trebek wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet and would remain on the show as long as he could. Jennings also discussed how surprised Trebek was by the sheer amount of well wishes he received after revealing his diagnosis publicly.

“I’d stopped by a taping to wish him well, and I spoke to him for a minute in his dressing room, where I’d never been. I felt like I was sneaking past security at the airport or something. It was very sweet. He’d really appreciated some things I’d written about him, and clearly was just bewildered by the outpouring of love – just hundreds of thousands of messages. He said, ‘Most people don’t get to hear this stuff about themselves until after they’re gone.’ He felt very lucky that he got to hear some of those things while he was still here.'”

Trebek and Jennings have been friends for a long time. They spent plenty of time together back in 2004 when Jennings won an incredible 74 straight games. His lengthy run shocked the nation and helped him secure more than $2.5 million. Now that he has received his prestigious title, he does not expect to return to the show in the future.

Trebek, on the other hand, hopes to stick it out a bit longer but knows his days as host are likely limited. As The Inquisitr previously reported, he’s been asked a lot about who he thinks will replace him on the show. While he noted he has absolutely no say in who is chosen, he would like for it to be a woman with a good sense of humor.