On Wednesday, Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, 78, delivered a serious message to fans of the show about his health.
The video was posted on the official Jeopardy! YouTube channel. Speaking directly to the camera, Trebek — who has hosted the game show since it was revived in 1984 — revealed to fans that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
"Just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer," he said.
"Now normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to keep working...And I'm going to keep working and with the love and support of my family and friends and I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease."
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Trebek added that he has an obligation to Jeopardy!
"Truth told, I have to [beat cancer]" joked Trebek. "Because under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years!"
Trebek is reportedly contracted to host Jeopardy! through 2022.
This is not the first health crisis that Trebek has dealt with. He took a brief leave from the show in 2018 to remove blood clots from his brain. In late 2017, he was diagnosed with subdural hematoma, a complication from hitting his head in a bad fall in October.
Check out the full message below:
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