Throughout his life, Alex Trebek was a vocal activist and a passionate philanthropist. He was active in World Vision organizations, donated land for conservation, visited military bases around the world to show his support for the troops, made substantial contributions to causes involving education and homelessness – truly, the list goes on. As someone who was both passionate about philanthropy and fatherhood, Trebek passed his drive to help others onto his kids.

Matthew Trebek, Alex’s son, followed in his dad’s generous footsteps, actively supporting organizations like The Doe Fund. According to its website, “The Doe Fund’s mission is to break the cycle of homelessness, incarceration, and recidivism by providing holistic services, housing, and work opportunities.”

The Doe Fund’s “Ready, Willing & Able” program helps men with histories of homelessness, incarceration, and unemployment become self-sufficient through a combination of social services, sobriety support, career training, and more. As men work through The Doe Fund’s program, they attend interviews to secure jobs that will allow them to become self-supporting.

As with any job interview, first impressions are essential – but when you’re unable to afford professional clothes, the stress of a job interview becomes even greater. While mourning the passing of his dad, Matthew Trebek had an idea – one that would allow his dad to do one final charitable act.

Matthew and Jeopardy! costumer Steven Zimbelman packed up Trebek’s wardrobe and donated hundreds of articles of clothing to The Doe Fund’s admirable cause. 58 dress shirts, 14 suits, 300 ties, 25 polos, 14 sweaters, 9 sports coats, 9 pairs of dress shoes, 15 belts, 2 parkas, and 3 pairs of dress slacks will now help hard-working men make a winning first impression.

“During his last day on set, Alex extolled the virtues of everyone opening up their hands and their hearts to those who are suffering,” Mike Richards, Executive Producer, Jeopardy! Told Deadline. “Donating his wardrobe to those who are working to rebuild their lives is the perfect way to begin to honor that last request.”

Alex, we salute you.

As Jeopardy navigates through the post-Trebek era and the brave new world of interim hosts, some fans still aren’t yet ready to say goodbye to Alex. After the longtime iconic gameshow host passed away last fall from his battle with pancreatic cancer, everyone in the community paid tribute and memorialized the legend.

And some fans have found their own way to pay tribute to his memory. One Jeopardy superfan in Canada took it to the next level, though, with his kinetic Lego recreation of Trebek presiding over the Jeopardy GOAT tournament of champions.

My husband Doug and I watch Jeopardy together every night. He recently made this LEGO kinetic sculpture of the GOAT tournament in honor of Alex Trebek. @KenJennings @James_Holzhauer @bradrutter @Jeopardy

full video: https://t.co/H4GAmGDqTE pic.twitter.com/7YzAbyGiNuPreview post

— Jess Hughes (@jessrhughes8) January 27, 2021

The creation has actual moving pieces, including the GOAT contestants Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer, and Brad Rutter reaching for their buzzers and the podiums also light up. Doug Hughes created the masterpiece to honor Trebek’s memory. His wife shared it on social media.

Ken Jennings, the first interim host, saw the creation and was pretty impressed. And, true to his style, he was quick with a dad joke-esque pun: “LEGOAT”

LEGOAT! https://t.co/U2hSrx7Q04

— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) January 27, 2021

Alex Trebek was one of the most iconic TV hosts of all time, and his passing was truly one of the low moments (of many) in 2020. Fans and admirers of all stripes are now paying tribute to the legendary host, and among those is one of the most electric wide receivers in the NFL

Minnesota Vikings star Adam Thielen honored Trebek’s passing with a pair of FIRE custom cleats. And now, he’s auctioning them off to raise money for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting the deadly disease.

In honor of the last episode airing today of Jeopardy! with the late, great Alex Trebek hosting, #ThielenFoundation is auctioning off my custom pre-game worn cleats done by the man @MACHE275. All proceeds will benefit @PanCAN in the fight to help find a cure! pic.twitter.com/zPuDUNZ4aj

— Adam Thielen (@athielen19) January 8, 2021

“In honor of the last episode airing today of Jeopardy! with the late, great Alex Trebek hosting, Thielen Foundation is auctioning off my custom pre-game worn cleats,” he wrote.

In case you’re curious how much magic is in those cleats, Thielen did catch two touchdowns in the game after warming up in them.

The cleats feature Trebek in a halo and a Jeopardy! clue style image with “We will miss you, Alex” in the placard. Trebek was dedicated to raising awareness for pancreatic cancer prevention and charities during his battle with the terrible disease, and his advocacy will certainly make a difference in the lives of many.

For 36 years, Alex Trebek and his famous mustache were the face of Jeopardy. In November, the beloved game show host passed away after a valiant battle with cancer, and now the producers of the show are scrambling to find a replacement. But whoever takes over for Trebek will have big shoes to fill, and the people behind the decision are not taking it lightly.

Many names have been tossed around, and several celebrities will appear as guest hosts over the next few weeks before a final decision is made. Ken Jennings, the popular former champion with a large Twitter following and quick wit, went first, Katie Couric is coming soon, and now a football player with a history of competing may be next. But potentially not until after the Super Bowl.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is a longtime fan of the show and even won the Celebrity Tournament in $50,000 (and donated his winnings to the MACC Fund (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer).

The QB, currently prepping for his team’s matchup against the Los Angeles Rams in this Saturday’s divisional round of the NFL playoffs, appeared on the Pat McAfee show and spilled the beans.

“I’m really excited about it. We’ve been talking about it for a little bit,” Rodgers said. “I think I may have jumped the gun a little bit so I apologize to ‘Jeopardy’ if they wanted to announce it, I just got so excited on the show earlier. It just went down the last couple of days, us figuring it out. It is very exciting, it’s for the offseason, we’ll be even more excited when that opportunity gets a little closer.”

BREAKING NEWS: @AaronRodgers12 is going to guest host Jeopardy #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/u03VFDVRvO

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 12, 2021

The former MVP and Super Bowl champion told McAfee how much the opportunity means to him, as a huge fan of the show.

“The show has been so special to me over the years,” Rodgers said. “It’s been a staple at my house here in Green Bay for the last 16 years – 6 o’clock watching Alex and trying to get as many questions as I can. When the opportunity came up in 2015 I mean that was a dream come true, it really was, to be on there, to get to meet Alex was just such a special moment, and we’re all obviously sad about his passing. I’ve said it before I think when he passed, but there’s this nostalgic connection to certain figures in our life based on our childhood and where we were at and the times we had those memories, it almost makes these people feel like family, like you know them.”

The odds of Rodgers hanging up his cleats and taking over for Alex Trebek anytime soon are probably pretty low. The show’s producers are considering a slew of other potential hosts, including LeVar Burton and Jane Lynch, but Rodgers has proven himself to be more than capable of handling the show’s material, so never say never.

After posting a final farewell to its iconic host, “Jeopardy!” has entered a new era, airing the first episodes without Alex Trebek. After the final episodes Trebek recorded aired, the show has moved on with its first interim host, Jeopardy GOAT Ken Jennings. And before his first episode, he paid a moving tribute to the iconic former host.

Ken Jennings steps up to the lectern today as our first guest host – but not before honoring Alex. pic.twitter.com/uOzQ3UfqmN

— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) January 12, 2021

“Sharing this stage with Alex Trebek was one of the greatest honors of my life,” he said. “Not many things in life are perfect, but Alex did this job pretty much perfectly for more than 36 years and it was even better up close. We were dazzled by his intelligence, his charm, his grace — really, there’s no other word for it.”

“Like all Jeopardy! fans, I miss Alex. Very much. And I thank him for everything he did for all of us.”

He was fighting back tears as he declared moving the show forward was the best way to honor Trebek’s legacy, by continuing the game he loved and dedicated so much of his life to.

“Let’s be totally clear: No one will ever replace the great Alex Trebek, but we can honor him by playing the game he loved,” Jennings said.

And so we moved forward, into the Trebek-less era. Jennings did have a special Trebek memento in his pocket when he did his first episode as guest host. It was a ticket stub from a studio taping of the first episode of Jeopardy hosted by Trebek in 1983.

A friend gave me this piece of quiz show history: an audience ticket to Alex’s very first Jeopardy! pilot from 1983. (“ALEX TREBEK! DOOR PRIZES!”) I kept it in my pocket while guest-hosting Jeopardy! this week, as a good luck charm. pic.twitter.com/dpDn67lWPp

— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) January 12, 2021

His piece of quiz show history was his good luck charm as he took over the franchise temporarily. Jennings is widely seen as the favorite to take over as permanent host, but Jeopardy will welcome a number of other interim hosts before any decisions are made.

This officially closes the door on the Trebek era of the show, but his spirit will live on every time someone answers a clue in the form of a question.

Trebek tragically passed away from pancreatic cancer in the fall, but not before giving us a lifetime of wisdom and entertainment. It’s fair to say he goes down as one of the most beloved TV hosts ever, something we’re remembering more after his final episodes of Jeopardy aired in early January.

What made Alex Trebek a legend was his ability to find levity in the moment, and to be serious when the situation called for it, while also being able to deliver a delightfully subtle burn or execute a flawless prank. This was really apparent in the final tribute to Alex that Jeopardy just released. Well, now we have even more details about one of his most legendary pranks. A former Jeopardy champ this week is recalling Trebek’s infamous no-pants prank during a tournament of champions.

Brad Rutter was a finalist in the 2005 Jeopardy Tournament of Champions, going against a rising young whippersnapper by the name of Ken Jennings. Rutter told a radio station recently about how nervous they all were, and how they joked with each other that they should just do the show without pants since they were only visible from the chest up behind their podiums.

The players, unaware of how television works, did not realize their mics were picking up the private conversation. So they did not expect what happened next; when legendary Jeopardy announcer Johnny Gilbert introduced Trebek, he came out to the set dressed sharply in his shirt, tie jacket, socks and shoes and zero pants.

The contestants doubled over in laughter as Trebek explained what was happening, and then went to grab some pants and start the show.

Truly a legendary moment in show history, and another reason why Trebek will always be the GOAT.

For 36 years, Alex Trebek was the face and voice of one of the most iconic game shows of all time. Even through his battle with pancreatic cancer, Trebek continued recording episodes of Jeopardy – not because he had to, but because he truly loved what he did. The final episode of Jeopardy featuring the beloved host was originally going to air on Christmas of 2020, but instead, the episode was pushed back to last Friday.

The last episode of Jeopardy aired more than two months after Trebek’s death, allowing fans to bid a final farewell to the game show legend. In a touching tribute, the episode concluded with a 90-second video packed with heartwarming moments from throughout Trebek’s Jeopardy career.

While we typically see Trebek’s more serious side, the montage is filled with his more playful moments. Trebek dances, laughs, and even shows up on stage sans pants. Though it’s evident simply by watching the show itself, the montage really highlights just how deeply Trebek loved his job.

For those who didn’t see the episode (or for those of us who want to watch it on repeat), Jeopardy shared their moving tribute on Twitter with the caption, “Simply the best. Thank you, Alex.”

Simply the best.
Thank you, Alex. pic.twitter.com/GgXbV4AWMt

— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) January 8, 2021

The video’s comments quickly filled with kind words about Trebek, from fans of the show to former contestants.

Getting to be on the show with Alex was a real dream-come-true and a day that I’ll never forget. 😢 pic.twitter.com/kSgf2zbNuP

— Francesco Caporusso • Wear A Mask! (@czesco) January 9, 2021

37 years of watching with my parents and Nana who loved Alex and now watching with my husband and boys. I thought I was ready for the final episode… I was not. I am completely heartbroken. So Long Alex. pic.twitter.com/TAhdGKFe8F

— Jennifer (Morris) Kerr (@Jmokerr) January 9, 2021

Name a more charming and sincere human than Alex Trebek.

I’ll be waiting… forever.

— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) January 8, 2021

Like I said earlier; pic.twitter.com/7gKerx3GMl

— jack (@JackMyBeanstalk) January 9, 2021

The Jeopardy! host treated each contestant with kindness and respect, and even when battling cancer, he gave the show everything he had. Trebek’s legacy will live on, and even though Jeopardy will continue, it will never be the same without him.

The list of grievances with 2020 is certainly not short, and on that list is the passing of Alex Trebek. So it’s only fitting that our final new episodes of Jeopardy with Trebek as host, taped before his passing from pancreatic cancer in the fall, will air in 2021.

Jeopardy originally planned to air his final episode on Christmas day but made the decision to push his final episodes back a bit so millions of fans can watch Trebek’s final episodes. The program aired two weeks of repeats around the holidays, in a special block of programming called “Around the World With Alex.”

According to Jeopardy, his lifelong interest in people, cultures, and languages is why they chose those repeats for the special. “History is the past,” he once said, “geography is the future.”

This leaves us with his final episodes, which were taped on October 29th. They are currently scheduled to air January 4th through 8th. His executive producer Mike Richards recently told media outlets that Trebek “was a warrior” during his final tapings, as he wanted more than anything to be one of the first shows back in production after a COVID-19 pause.

“We knew how much he was fighting, and that’s what made the performance even more impressive,” he said. He said the final episodes were moved so fans wouldn’t be stressed about possibly missing them during the holiday chaos. “We wanted our fans to be able to really savor those last five.”

After our last Trebek-led Jeopardy episode on January 8th, the mantle gets passed to the first interim host, Jeopardy GOAT Ken Jennings, with more interim hosts on the way.

We lost a true gem in Alex Trebek’s passing, but the iconic Jeopardy host recorded an inspiring Thanksgiving message in one of the last episodes he recorded. Our collection of new Trebek episodes is quickly dwindling, but his witty outtakes will always be are timeless.

One of the episodes he recorded before his passing aired on Thanksgiving, and it included an uplifting message we all could hear right now (a few times).

High on our list of things to be thankful for this year: Alex’s Thanksgiving message from today’s show. We hope you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving! pic.twitter.com/8OlpkSGi9r

— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) November 26, 2020

“You know, in spite of what America and the rest of the world is experiencing right now, there are many reasons to be thankful. There are more and more people extending helpful hands to do a kindness to their neighbors, and that’s a good thing.

“Keep the faith,” Trebek concluded. “We’re going to get through all of this, and we will be a better society because of it.”

It’s impossible to watch that without the room getting a little dusty, as we savor every last special message from Trebek, with each taking on new meaning and importance after his passing.

There’s a reason Trebek was so beloved, and there’s no question we could all take his message of helping one another, being thankful, and keeping the faith to heart right now, as we endure what’s supposed to be a difficult winter before turning the corner on our global pandemic.

After the passing of legendary Jeopardy host Alex Trebek, the long-running game show will resume production with its first new host in 37 seasons. The baton is being passed to the greatest Jeopardy player ever, Ken Jennings, who will be the first ‘of a series of interim-hosts from the Jeopardy family.’

Trebek was beloved, and whoever replaces him long-term will have enormous shoes to fill. But, at the same time, Trebek frequently spoke about wanting the show to continue into a new era. Jeopardy executive producer Mike Richards released a statement about resuming production with Ken Jennings at the helm. Jennings recently started an official role on the show, so the move makes perfect sense.

“Alex believed in the importance of Jeopardy and always said he wanted the show to go on without him,” Richards said. “We will honor Alex’s legacy by continuing to produce the game he loved with smart contestants and challenging clues. By bringing in familiar guest hosts for the foreseeable future, our goal is to create a sense of community and continuity for our viewers.”

Jennings said there will only be one Alex Trebek, but that he was honored to help out Jeopardy during this time.

There will only ever be one Alex Trebek, but I’m honored to be helping Jeopardy! out with this in January. https://t.co/2m2b5IQnkw

— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) November 23, 2020

Jennings was widely seen as one of the favorites to replace Trebek, as he’s the most recognizable name in the Jeopardy world and is also the greatest contestant to play the game. He owns the record for the longest winning streak (74 games) and won the Jeopardy Greatest of All Time tournament earlier this year.

Trebek had mentioned who he’d like to see as his replacement over the years, telling Good Morning America a couple of years back that he jokes with the audience about it. “I say it should be Betty White because they want somebody younger and somebody funnier than me,” he said.

While production resumes November 30^th with Jennings, there’s no word about other hosts. Possibilities include James Holzhauer, another Jeopardy standout, or maybe LeVar Burton, if petitions count.

Either way, we’re getting more Jeopardy, and it starts with Jennings.

In the wake of Alex Trebek’s passing, there have been many tributes. Contestants who met him, athletes who watched him, fans who enjoyed him over his long, legendary run, shared their memories of the game show host who became much more than that after decades on their TV sets. We even learned more about Alex Trebek as a dad.

I myself grew up watching Jeopardy with my dad, and the primary memories I have of Trebek is of the way he pronounced the word “genre” and his professionalism, seemingly never missing a show and always delivering the goods.

But there were other aspects to his personality, including an excellent sense of humor, a willingness to take some digs at contestants, and something of a potty mouth!

Below are a few clips showcasing the parts of Alex Trebek’s personality that didn’t always come across on our TV screens, but were there just enough to make him far more than a simple game show host.

Check them out!

Alex Trebek’s Potty Mouth

That time he had little patience, and a lot of swears, for show promos:

No host likes shooting promos, especially for a phone version of their hit game show, but Trebek did them with good humor. So long, Alex, and fuck ’em. pic.twitter.com/7Z1hh1vl2w

— Found Footage Fest (@foundfootage) November 9, 2020

Trebek Doesn’t Mince Words

The time told them how he really felt:

No Pants Alex Trebek

The time he wasn’t caught with has pants down:

Trebek Vs Clueless Contestants

The time he was a good sport with contestants who were bad at sports:

Alex Trebek and Cliff Clavin

The time he made a cameo on Cheers and Cliff talked him out of quitting:

Trebek Cameos on SNL’s Jeopardy!

The time he showed his respects to a long-standing sketch:

2020 is the year from hell, for countless reasons, not least of which is the number of beloved people who’ve passed away over the course of the last 10+ months.

The latest casualty is longtime Jeopardy host and television icon Alex Trebek, who lost his valiant battle with cancer earlier this week. The tributes began flowing from all corners of the entertainment world and beyond, as people remembered the impact the game-show host had on their lives.

And then people began speculating about who might replace him.

Some are calling for past Jeopardy hero Ken Jennings, who parlayed an insanely long winning streak on the show into a bit of fame for himself, writing books, being funny on Twitter, and generally being known as a witty, smart, nice guy. On Twitter, he seems to have a bit of that sharp edge that Trebek occasionally flashed, much to our delight.

Jennings seems like a pretty good call, but now someone else has entered the mix, by way of an online petition.

Many of us grew up with Levar Burton as the host of Reading Rainbow. Before that, he starred in the groundbreaking Roots miniseries, and afterward, he appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation as engineer Jordie LaForge. Might his next role be commanding the contestants on Jeopardy?

The petition hopes so and is aiming to collect 10,000 votes. But it’s already closing in on 25,000!

Here’s the pitch:

“Between hosting 21 seasons of the educational Reading Rainbow, playing the brainiac engineer Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and filling the roll of Kunta Kinte in the ever-important mini-series Roots, LeVar Burton has inspired and shaped the minds of several generations of trivia-loving nerds. This petition is to show Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and producer Harry Friedman just how much love the public has for Burton, and how much we’d all love to see him as the next host of Jeopardy!”

Head to this link to sign the petition and stay tuned to find out who will ultimately be chosen to fill Trebek’s big shoes!

Alex Trebek still has one final gift for us, and it’s coming on Christmas. The TV legend had been filming his 37^th season of Jeopardy when he tragically passed away from cancer earlier this month. The air date for the final episode he filmed? Christmas day.

There’s no questioning we lost a TV icon when Trebek passed, but we also lost ‘a really decent man’ and a great dad. He was a constant in our homes for more than three decades, and it’s nearly impossible to imagine anyone else hosting that show.

Jeopardy had begun filming their first new season under COVID restrictions, and Trebek’s final episode was filmed on October 29^th, just 10 days before his passing. The executive producer of the year said Trebek “heroically continued to host Jeopardy” after his diagnosis, and that his performance over the final episodes was ‘the most inspiring demonstration of courage I have ever seen. His constant desire to learn, his kindness, and his professionalism will be with all of us forever.”

One of his other producers spoke to the media about the episodes he recently filmed, including an emotional speech about the holidays that brought the crew to tears.

“He gives a speech talking about togetherness, how important family is, and it will resonate even more now,” he said. “It was so beautiful.”

The final episodes of Jeopardy with Trebek begin Christmas week, with the final episode on Christmas day. There has been nothing official about what happens after that, or who the next host may be.