‘Jeopardy!’ host Alex Trebek says cancer fight includes bouts of ‘deep, deep sadness’

“Jeopardy!” champion James Holzhauer has been making all the news in recent weeks, but host Alex Trebek shared an update on his battle with pancreatic cancer on Wednesday.

In an interview with Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America,” the game show host talked about the how he’s feeling and the range of emotions that come with treatment.

“My oncologist tells me I’m doing well even though I don’t always feel it,” he said.

“I’ve had kidney stones, I’ve had ruptured discs, so I’m used to dealing with pain – but what I’m not used to dealing with is the surges that come on suddenly of deep, deep sadness and it brings tears to my eyes,“ Trebek, 78, continued.

“I’ve discovered in this whole episode … that I’m a bit of a wuss. But I’m fighting through it.

“My platelets, my blood counts are steady. My weight is steady. The numbers that indicate the cancer … the cancer indicators, those are coming down. So, I’ve got another chemo next week, and then we’ll do a review to find out where things stand.”

.@Jeopardy host #AlexTrebek to @RobinRoberts after being asked how he is doing: “My oncologist says I’m doing well even though I don’t always feel it.” https://t.co/YUdvo8InwJ pic.twitter.com/T1toOLcmUm

— Good Morning America (@GMA) May 1, 2019

“Bless you for being so honest and talking about the bad, as well as the good,” said Roberts, who had a bout with myelodysplastic syndrome, a disease of the bone marrow, which she recovered from in 2013.

Trebek announced his Stage 4 cancer diagnosis in early March but said he would continue to host the show and return in September for the new season. Trebek has been the host for 35 years.

Trebek also shared that he’s excited about Holzhauer’s run of wins.

After the interview Roberts and Trebek shared a hug.

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I’ve been patiently waiting to give Jeopardy host #alextrebek a big hug. I’m grateful for the opportunity I had to talk with him this morn on @goodmorningamerica. His heart, humor, and honesty were on full display. I’m in awe of his grace and thankful that he’s feeling all the love from so many around the world...?

A post shared by Robin Roberts (@robinrobertsgma) on May 1, 2019 at 7:43am PDT