Alex Trebek says he's been tested for Alzheimer's disease

November 12, 2018 / 17:40 GMT

By Scott Stump

Doctors feared that Alex Trebek shows signs of Alzheimer's disease after undergoing screening tests for the disease, the "Jeopardy!" revealed host.

In an interview with Vulture, Trebek spoke about a recent speech about his retirement and revealed that doctors had told him that "it did not look good" after being tested for the disease. of Alzheimer's as a result of memory failures.

"They've already appeared." Instead of saying "1492", I'm going to say "1942," said the 78-year-old, who answered a question. to know if there were signs that it was time to hang up.

"But my mind – I love doing crosswords, and recently, I was looking for a clue, he would be 23, and I would try to get the answer back in the next 26. I was always therefore.

"Because of that, I was tested early for Alzheimer's disease and the first time they tested me, they said," It does not look good. "Then we did other tests and they said," Everything is fine. Do not worry."

Trebek gave an overview of his retirement plans in June when he told Harvey Levin of TMZ that there was only a "slightly less chance" for him to continue. to liven up the show after the expiry of his contract in 2020.

He has hosted the series since 1984, missing only one episode when he exchanged roles with "Wheel of Fortune" host Pat Sajak in 1997.

After undergoing a brain operation in December 2017, Trebek has been a bit behind schedule to treat blood clots caused by a fall two months earlier. He came back in January.

The announcement regarding his retirement had "Jeopardy!" fans complaining that his legendary run is almost over. It was almost like the fury that seems to surround him whenever he changes his hair to the face, including classic mustache.

"I do not understand the advertising that surrounds it," he said.The same thing happened when I shaved my mustache in 2001. It played so much. to get a life, there are more important things. "

Although there is still a long time to animate the show, candidates should know that there is one thing that always bugs him after all these years.

"What bothers me is that competitors are jumping everywhere, even after double daily processing," he said. "Why are they doing this? They are doing a disservice.

"When the writers in the series build categories, they do so in a way that creates a flow of difficulty, so if you go to the bottom of the category, you'll get a clue that it's easier to understand if you've started. by the top." the category and saw how the indices worked. I like that there is order in the series, but as an impartial host, I accept the mess. "

Scott Stump