Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek joked that he would like to see 98-year-old actress and comedian Betty White replace him as host of the game show he has anchored for more than three decades.
Trebek, 79, recently said he did not know who would be the next host of Jeopardy! and that he likely would not have any input in the matter.
“It’s not a decision that would be up to me. And I would not make myself available to presenting an opinion,” Trebek said. “I would leave it up to the people in charge.”
He did offer up a suggestion anyway when asked about his “dream pick” by TV Line.
“When people ask me who I’d like to see replace me, I say, ‘Well, it’s probably going to be a woman, and she’ll have to be bright, she’ll have to have a good sense of humor,'” he told the outlet. “Uhhhh, let’s see … Betty White! Betty White is my choice.”
Jeopardy! executive producer Harry Friedman said that Trebek’s lack of involvement in picking his successor was the host’s choice and that Trebek “has no interest in being involved in that process.”
“We would welcome his opinion, obviously, but he feels like it’s really not up to him. And he has said that for a long time,” Friedman said.
Trebek announced that he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer in March 2019. He has hosted the game show since 1984 and has not yet announced a date when he may step down. He went through his first round of chemotherapy after his March announcement and was back on set within five months.
The host began a second round of chemotherapy in September, but he continued his hosting duties with the Jeopardy! special, “Greatest of All Time.” He has provided periodic updates on his condition to viewers and fans in the months since his diagnosis.
