“I Was Writhing on The Floor!” Alex Tr...
“I Was Writhing on The Floor!” Alex Trebek Opens Up About Suffering Severe Pain on The “Jeopardy” Set as He Fights Pancreatic Cancer
The brave "Jeopardy" legend described how he's lost his hair due to chemo, and how he had to run back to his dressing room because of intense pain.
Published May 10, 2019
Longtime “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek has been remarkably open since his March announcement that he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer– and now he’s sharing with his many fans about how’s he’s been experiencing significant physical pain on the “Jeopardy” set.
“This got really bad,” Trebek said in an interview preview for “CBS Sunday Morning” that will air in full on Sunday. “I was on the floor writhing in pain. It went from a 3 to an 11. And I just couldn’t believe. I didn’t know what was happening.”
“And it happened three or four times a day while we were taping,” he continued. “So that was a little — little rough on me.”
Trebek had to make special visits to his dressing room to deal with the pain. “I taped the show and then I made it to the dressing room on one occasion, just barely, before I writhed in pain and cried in pain,” Trebek said. “And I had 15 minutes before the next show. So, I got myself together and spasms of that kind usually last about 10 to 15 minutes. So, all right, here we go again: ‘Anybody got any pain pills?’ And, I don’t like taking pain pills. But I got through it.”
Everyone on the show gave him the space he needed, in case he really couldn’t do the filming. “And, the producers were very kind. They said, ‘Look, if you don’t wanna do the show, we’ll just cancel taping.'”
But Trebek was intent on powering through, even when the pain was almost unbearable. “I said, ‘No. We’re here. We’re doing the shows,'” he said.
Now Trebek is telling his viewers to see whether they can tell his hair is real or a wig replacement. “And so what the challenge for ‘Jeopardy!’ viewers is right now is to figure out, ‘Is that Alex’s real hair or is that a full hairpiece?’ Because they all know that when you start chemo, you lose your hair. So, which is it?”
Trebek will have a break from the show soon, and hopes his hair will grow back during that time. “We have the summer months off. So hopefully my own hair will grow back. ‘Cause I like my own hair!”
Trebek says that along with the pain, cancer has given him moments of sadness like he’s never had before. “My oncologist tells me I’m doing well even though I don’t always feel it. I’ve had kidney stones, I’ve had ruptured discs, so I’m used to dealing with pain,” Trebek told “GMA’s” Robin Roberts. “What I’m not used to [is] dealing with the surges that come on suddenly of deep, deep sadness and it brings tears to my eye. I’ve discovered in this whole episode, ladies and gentlemen, that I’m a bit of a wuss.”
He says that the chemo regimen he’s on seems to be doing well, but that the treatment contributes to his sadness and depression. “The cancer indicators, those are coming down. I’ve got another chemo next week and we’ll do a review and see where things stand,” he shared. “Chemo affects people in different ways and people have to understand that, and that there’s nothing wrong with saying ‘Hey, I’m really depressed today and I don’t know why.'”
And that all in all, he’s glad he’s getting to witness such a huge outpouring of love. “I think I’ve learned that I’m an extremely lucky individual because, in spite of the fact that this diagnosis is not a good one, I’ve managed to receive so much love from so many people,” he said. “Quite often you don’t get that during your lifetime. After you’ve passed, after you’re dead, people say ‘He was such a good guy, we really liked him.’ But I’m getting that all before that event and it makes me feel really, really good.”
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Longtime “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek has been remarkably open since his March announcement that he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer– and now he’s sharing with his many fans about how’s he’s been experiencing significant physical pain on the “Jeopardy” set.
“This got really bad,” Trebek said in an interview preview for “CBS Sunday Morning” that will air in full on Sunday. “I was on the floor writhing in pain. It went from a 3 to an 11. And I just couldn’t believe. I didn’t know what was happening.”
“And it happened three or four times a day while we were taping,” he continued. “So that was a little — little rough on me.”
Trebek had to make special visits to his dressing room to deal with the pain. “I taped the show and then I made it to the dressing room on one occasion, just barely, before I writhed in pain and cried in pain,” Trebek said. “And I had 15 minutes before the next show. So, I got myself together and spasms of that kind usually last about 10 to 15 minutes. So, all right, here we go again: ‘Anybody got any pain pills?’ And, I don’t like taking pain pills. But I got through it.”
Everyone on the show gave him the space he needed, in case he really couldn’t do the filming. “And, the producers were very kind. They said, ‘Look, if you don’t wanna do the show, we’ll just cancel taping.'”
But Trebek was intent on powering through, even when the pain was almost unbearable. “I said, ‘No. We’re here. We’re doing the shows,'” he said.
Now Trebek is telling his viewers to see whether they can tell his hair is real or a wig replacement. “And so what the challenge for ‘Jeopardy!’ viewers is right now is to figure out, ‘Is that Alex’s real hair or is that a full hairpiece?’ Because they all know that when you start chemo, you lose your hair. So, which is it?”
Trebek will have a break from the show soon, and hopes his hair will grow back during that time. “We have the summer months off. So hopefully my own hair will grow back. ‘Cause I like my own hair!”
Trebek says that along with the pain, cancer has given him moments of sadness like he’s never had before. “My oncologist tells me I’m doing well even though I don’t always feel it. I’ve had kidney stones, I’ve had ruptured discs, so I’m used to dealing with pain,” Trebek told “GMA’s” Robin Roberts. “What I’m not used to [is] dealing with the surges that come on suddenly of deep, deep sadness and it brings tears to my eye. I’ve discovered in this whole episode, ladies and gentlemen, that I’m a bit of a wuss.”
He says that the chemo regimen he’s on seems to be doing well, but that the treatment contributes to his sadness and depression. “The cancer indicators, those are coming down. I’ve got another chemo next week and we’ll do a review and see where things stand,” he shared. “Chemo affects people in different ways and people have to understand that, and that there’s nothing wrong with saying ‘Hey, I’m really depressed today and I don’t know why.'”
And that all in all, he’s glad he’s getting to witness such a huge outpouring of love. “I think I’ve learned that I’m an extremely lucky individual because, in spite of the fact that this diagnosis is not a good one, I’ve managed to receive so much love from so many people,” he said. “Quite often you don’t get that during your lifetime. After you’ve passed, after you’re dead, people say ‘He was such a good guy, we really liked him.’ But I’m getting that all before that event and it makes me feel really, really good.”
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.