Getty Alex Trebek poses in the press room during the 46th annual Daytime Emmy Awards.
Alex Trebek has died after battling pancreatic cancer according to TMZ. Trebek, known as the longtime host of Jeopardy!, was 80-years-old. In March 2019, he revealed his diagnosis.
“Just like 50,000 other people in the U.S. each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer,” Trebek said in a video message on Jeopardy! “Now normally the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to keep working, and with the love and support of my family and friends, and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease. Truth told, I have to, because under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years,” he added. “So help me keep the faith, and we’ll win. We’ll get it done. Thank you.”
Trebek has been the host of Jeopardy! since 1984 and has over 50 years of hosting experience, Newsweek noted. In 2020, he hosted the 37th season of the trivia show.
Here’s what you need to know about his net worth:
1. Trebek Had a Hefty Salary From Jeopardy!
GettySpecial Guest Alex Trebek attends the screening of ‘Wuthering Heights’
For each season of Jeopardy, Trebek made $18 million, Celebrity Net Worth said.
2. Trebek Was Worth $75 Million
Alex Trebek attends Harry Friedman being honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
At the time of his death, Trebek was worth $75 million according to Celebrity Net Worth. This is a big jump from 2018 when his net worth was listed at $50 million.
Trebek made generous donations from his huge income. In March 2020, he gifted the Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission, a homeless outreach organization, with a $100,000 gift. In an Instagram post, the CEO Ken Craft shared the story of Trebek making the donation:
Recently I was sitting in my office and I received a phone call from Alex Trebek. He said he would like a tour of our new shelter being built. I gave him a tour of the NoHo shelter and the navigation center. Two weeks after that, he asked if I would come to his house. I went to his house and he said he wants to contribute to the homeless crisis and he handed me a check for $100,000.
In June, Good Morning America reported that Trebek and his wife, Jean, donated another $500,000 to the Mission.
The Trebeks have also made charitable donations through their nonprofit, the Trebek Family Foundation. Trebek made donations to the University of Ottawa, his alma mater, as well. He donated $5 million to the University of Ottawa for the Alex Trebek Forum for Dialogue in 2016, Celebrity Net Worth reported.
3. Trebek Earned Around $78,000 Per Episode
GettyAlex Trebek poses with the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Trebek filmed five episodes per day. For each episode, he made around $78,000 which means at the end of the day he had earned about $391,000. Jeopardy! filmed 46 days a year.
4. Trebek Hosted Other Shows Besides Jeopardy!
All of Trebek’s wealth didn’t come from hosting Jeopardy!
Over the five decades he has been a game show host, he has hosted shows like NBC’s Wizard of Odds in 1973, Double Dare, The New Battlestars and Super Jeopardy! He also hosted Reach for the Top, a high school trivia program, in 1966. He then moved on to host shows like The $128,000 Question and The New High Rollers.He also hosted a show titled Pitfall, but the show was short-lived and he never received pay because the production company went bankrupt, Celebrity Net Worth pointed out.
After he took over Jeopardy! in 1984, he still hosted other shows. He served as the host for a NBC game show called Classic Concentration from 1987 to 1991.
5. Trebek Made His Debut As a Game Show Host in 1963
Trebek’s first gig as a game show host was for a Canadian music show called Music Hop in 1963. He entered the television business when he began working for the Canadian Broadcasting Company after he graduated from the University of Ottawa in 1961. According to Good Housekeeping, he was a staff announcer where he “covered the news, weather, and regional sports on radio and television broadcasts.”