RIP ALEX TREBEK

1940 – 2020

According to The New York Times, Alex Trebek got his job hosting “Jeopardy!” with a little help from Lucille Ball. The actress was friends with famed TV producer Merv Griffin, and encouraged him to hire Trebek. 

When Trebek was hosting “High Rollers” in the 1970s, Ball was a fan of the show. She appeared on an episode in 1977, which left her impressed enough with Trebek’s hosting skills to recommend him to Griffin when the job hosting “Jeopardy!” was available. 

Although the majority of “High Rollers” have been lost, a couple of very brief clips and photos exist from the set, including a pic of Trebek with Ball, which was shown on CBS Sunday Morning in 2012. While we will probably never know exactly what Ball said to Griffin to convince him to give Trebek a chance, it’s safe to say both Ball and Griffin were likely won over by Trebek’s charm the same way the rest of the world was.