Alex Trebek Spotted out at Home Depot Amid Cancer Battle, ‘Jeopardy!’ Pandemic Hiatus

Alex Trebek isn’t letting the coronavirus pandemic or his battle with cancer stop him from living his life. The longtime Jeopardy host was spotted out with his wife, Jean, and son, Matthew, at Home Depot by TMZ.

Trebek has had quite a long break from his job with production on Jeopardy! shutting down in March. Known to be an avid fixer-upper around the house, Trebek seems to be making the most of life in quarantine by getting some of those projects put off in the past finally completed. All of this comes as Trebek is fighting stage IV pancreatic cancer after being diagnosed on Mar. 6, 2019. He made it one year this past March, announcing at the time that he was given an 18 percent chance of reaching that point upon his initial prognosis.

Speaking with CTV News in October, Trebek talked about how he has been dealing with the deadly disease, admitting that he is not “afraid of dying.” He said there’s no reason to fear anything because, as he put it, “I’ve lived a good life, a full life, and I’m nearing the end of that life.” Throughout it all, Trebek has remained a constant on Jeopardy!, although he shared that there are some days where it gets difficult for him. “I’m sure there are observant members of the television audience that notice also, but they’re forgiving,” Trebek surmised.

Before the pandemic forced all of Hollywood to close up shop, Jeopardy! was set to move on without a studio audience due to the threat of COVID-19 for those at high-risk such as Trebek. As the coronavirus threat increased with each passing day, Jeopardy! along with Wheel of Fortune announced on the same day that things would be put on a hiatus. There remains no timetable for a return, though Trebek is eager to return according to a show spokesperson.

In an interview with TVLine, a rep for Jeopardy! said Trebek is looking forward to getting back into his usual rhythm, adding that, “He’s told us he wants to be one of the first shows back in production.” In an interview with Pop Culture, star of Wheel of Fortune, Vanna White, shared a similar sentiment as she voiced her desire to get back to work after missing her family on set. With COVID-19 cases continuing to be an issue across many states, Hollywood remains on a shutdown.