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Alex Trebek Nominated Betty White as ‘Jeopardy!’ Replacement Before His Death

Late “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek had his own ideas about who should replace him as host of the popular game show.

Trebek was 80 when he died. But he joked that he wanted the 98-year-old pop culture icon Betty White to replace him, the New York Post reported. 

Alex Trebek Joked About Betty White

“I joke with the audience all the time and I say, ‘Betty White,’ because they want somebody younger, somebody funnier,” Trebek told “Good Morning America” this past summer. “Betty and I have been friends for a long, long time.” 

And in January of this year, Trebek told the Television Critics Association that he’d nominate White to take his place, according to Country Music Nation.

“It’s probably going to be a woman, somebody younger, somebody bright, somebody personable, somebody with a great sense of humor, so I nominated Betty White,” Trebek said.

A Deadly Cancer

Trebek announced that he’d been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer in 2019. Cancer eventually killed him. But he lived more than twice as long as the average pancreatic cancer patient after his diagnosis. The disease is rarely caught until it’s in its late stages. And it is mostly considered incurable. 

For her part, White told the Post that she had a “huge crush” on Trebek.  

White is a veteran of shows such as “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “The Golden Girls.” She has been working in show business for the past 70 years. And she stars in an upcoming Lifetime Christmas movie. It has been delayed until 2021.

“We’re all still dreaming of a White Christmas with Betty White,” Lifetime said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. “Unfortunately we will have to wait until 2021. The movie is being pushed to next year due to COVID filming restrictions.” 

In the meantime, maybe White can practice up on her “Jeopardy!” trivia.