Alex Trebek Reportedly Has "No Plans" to Retire From 'Jeopardy!' Amid Ongoing Cancer Battle

The household name and Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek has been open and honest with the public about his battle with pancreatic cancer. In March, he announced to the public that he was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, and was beginning to undergo chemotherapy for treatment. 

At the time, he said that while he was struggling with his health, he would continue to host the TV show as long as he could. 

Though there have been numerous reports about Alex's position on the long-running game show, the host is reportedly not about to retire. “He has no plans to quit, and is absolutely not announcing his retirement [anytime soon],” a coworker recently stated (via People). 

In October, Alex talked about his cancer treatment and admitted that he could feel the treatment affecting his performance as a host on the show. Though, he remained positive telling CTV News, "We’ll play it by ear and keep chugging along until we either win or lose."

During the interview with the news outlet, Alex opened up about his symptoms. “There are weaknesses I feel in my body but I can always suck it up when it comes to tape the show,” he said. But, there were certain problems that had been affecting his work, such as the sores in his mouth that come with chemotherapy. 

He promised fans that he'd stick with the program “as long as my skills do not diminish," but he also admitted that it's likely fans have noticed the dip in his performance.

“I’m sure there are observant members of the television audience that notice also, but they’re forgiving,” he said. “But there will come a point when they (fans and producers) will no longer be able to say, ‘It’s okay.’”

At this time, there is no set departure date for Alex's tenure on the show.

In his interview with CTV News, Alex also said that while his treatment has been tolling, he's "not afraid of dying."

“I’ve lived a good life, a full life, and I’m nearing the end of that life … if it happens, why should I be afraid that?” he said. Alex is currently 79 and has hosted over 8,000 episodes of Jeopardy!, giving him a long legacy to leave behind.

“One thing they’re not going to say at my funeral, as a part of a eulogy, is ‘He was taken from us too soon,'" he joked.

It seems as though he's still in good spirits, despite needing to go through another round of chemotherapy.

Alex revealed that while his first round of chemotherapy seemed to have taken care of most of the cancer cells, returning his levels to "normal," his immuno-therapy failed and his number spiked again, leading to another round of chemo.

“I'm hanging in,” he said. Well, we're hoping the best for Alex in 2020.