Alex Trebek's Widow Gives First Interview Since 'Jeopardy!' Host's Death
By Hayden Brooks
April 30, 2021
Like the rest of the world, Alex Trebek's wife, Jean Trebek, deeply misses the late, great TV icon.
Speaking with TODAY anchor Savannah Guthrie in an interview, which is scheduled to air on Saturday night (May 1) on NBC and Telemundo, Jean opened up about life without the Jeopardy honcho. "I think right now, talking with you, I’m good. You know? I’m good," she explained during the interview. "I absolutely have moments of waves of grief that just come over me. I miss him a lot."
Jean went onto address that one viral moment that saw a contestant wager $1,995 of his $2,000 during the final round of Jeopardy! to simply write, "We love you, Alex."
"When that contestant wrote that, you know, you could see (Alex Trebek), like, 'Oh, don’t make me cry here but I love it," she explained. "And I think that meant the world to him. ... I think one of the beautiful things, the blessings that came, if you can call it a blessing, was that he got to really see the outpouring of love and admiration that he gave to the world. Some people just, you know, you don’t see that while you’re still embodied, you don’t get to really witness all the love that people feel for you. And I know that was in and of itself a huge inspiration for Alex."
As you know, Trebek died on November 8, 2020 due to the battle. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, show executive producer Mike Richards shared details about the beloved TV icon's last day with his family. "He had a nice final day. He was out on his swing that he loved with his wife and surrounded by family," Richards said of Trebek's time with wife Jean. "It was a very peaceful day, there were laughs, and then he went to sleep."
“He got to really see the outpouring of love.”
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) April 28, 2021
Jean Trebek talks to @SavannahGuthrie about her late husband Alex Trebek. Catch the full interview during the special prime-time event "Inspiring America," which airs Saturday, May 1 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Telemundo. pic.twitter.com/BdjN5W4QFG
Photo: Getty Images