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Alex Trebek, the host of "Jeopardy!", Is excused Wednesday for his much-criticized – and sometimes odd – performance as a moderator of the Pennsylvania government debate earlier this week.
Trebek frowned Monday night for making jokes and talking at length about his own political views during a 45-minute debate in Hershey between Governor Tom Wolf (D) and his Republican opponent Scott Wagner.
The 78-year-old television icon said in a statement on Wednesday that he was "naive" and that he "had not acknowledged the seriousness of the television." event for voters ".
"I thought that as a moderator I had to come up with a light-weight approach, while being able to challenge the candidates on their records or positions," Trebek wrote. "I did not know that I had to ask a simple question, then let the gentlemen throw their heads."
"I offer my sincere apologies to the people of Pennsylvania, a state that I love very much," he added.
Trebek launched the event Monday with a monologue of nearly five minutes, telling the public that he was not "drunk" when he had accepted the invitation to moderate the debate, but then asked if he should have accepted it.
"What was I thinking of?" Trebek wondered aloud, causing a few muffled laughs. "Obviously, I'm not as bright as some of you in the audience think."
When the governorship candidates finally joined him on stage, his first question was about their political platforms – but about football issues.
"Tell me the name of the defensive lineman from [Philadelphia] The Eagles who have won two consecutive Super Bowls – each with a different team, "Trebek said.
The audience chuckled as Wolf replied, "I guess you're going to want me to ask that question."
Subsequently, Trebek was surprised by an embarrassing silence when he joked about the approval rate of the Catholic Church in light of accusations of sexual abuse against the Pennsylvania clergy.
"The popularity rating of the legislature is 14%," Trebek said. "The only thing with a lower rating in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the Catholic Church."
After his sloppy joke provoked public criticism, Trebek decided to discuss his own experience with the Catholic Church, noting that he had never been molested by clergy:
I was born and I grew up Catholic and I am so taken aback that everyone has finished telling what happened in the Church. However, having said that, I would like to add that if I could. When I was a teenager, I attended a Catholic boarding school run by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Two hundred and fifty students, other boys and myself, spent three years in the same home 24 hours a day, with seven priests, and not once in those three years, no sexual behavior. 39, had been committed. Now the boys are strong enough, we speak, we would have known. So I think there are Catholic priests who can serve their congregations without lingering – it's the P-R-E-Y – on the young people.
At the end of the debate, much of the audience turned against him. Instead of letting both contestants struggle, Trebek concluded the meeting by arguing with Wagner about education and taxes. His comments were greeted with screams from the crowd
"What did I tell you in the beginning, guys?" Said Trebek to the crowd. "No booing or whistling! And now, you're leading it to me!
Viewers blamed Trebek for spending so much time talking about himself. Some wondered why Trebek was asked to moderate the only planned debate between Wolf and Wagner.
The Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which invited Trebek to act as a moderator, did not immediately respond to HuffPost's request for comment.
Watch the full debate below:
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