Shortly before Alex Trebek’s final “Jeopardy!” episode started airing Friday night, Ken Jennings paid tribute to the beloved host.
“After more than thirty-six years and 8,200+ shows, Alex Trebek’s last game of Jeopardy! airs today. That’s more Tonight Shows than Carson did, three times as many Daily Shows as Jon Stewart,” Jennings wrote on Twitter Friday afternoon.
“Alex was always a familiar TV face, but it was so gratifying during the last years of his life to see him universally recognized as the national treasure (or bi-national treasure!) that he was,” Jennings continued. “We’re always going to miss him. Thanks for everything, Alex.”
In his memoir that came out last year, Trebek wrote that he got to know Jennings better than most “Jeopardy!” contestants. Jennings had a legendary 75-game “Jeopardy!” run in 2004 — meaning Trebek interacted with him significantly more than most contestants.
Trebek admitted he was a little emotional when a question about H&R Block finally dethroned the then-30-year-old software engineer from Salt Lake City.
“I had tears in my eyes,” he wrote. “It just all happened so quickly. Ken lost. … The show ended. I remember thinking, ‘Ken’s gone. My buddy. My pal. This was getting to be “The Ken and Alex Show.”’”
Starting Jan. 11, Jennings, who won the “Greatest of All Time” tournament in January 2020, fills in as the first in a series of interim hosts.
“There will only ever be one Alex Trebek, but I’m honored to be helping Jeopardy! out with this in January,” Jennings tweeted in November.
“Jeopardy!” is not announcing an official host at this time. Mike Richards, the show’s executive producer, recently told Deadline that “Jeopardy!” won’t name a permanent new host before spring.