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Ken Jennings<\/a> got candid about the last time he saw former Jeopardy!<\/a> host Alex Trebek<\/a> before his death. The current host opened up during a Q&A for his book, The Complete Kennections<\/a>, on August 12, in front of fans at Lake Forest Park, Washington.<\/p>\n Jennings told the audience that he and \u00a0Trebek were backstage at Jeopardy! shortly before Alex\u2019s death, according to MLT News<\/a>. \u201cHe was, you know, sometimes in a lot of pain,\u201d Ken Jennings shared. \u201cThen Johnny [Gilbert<\/a>] would say his name, and like magic, he would just walk out there and be Alex Trebek, you know, 37 years of sense memory and experience, and he could just turn it on.\u201d<\/p>\n Jennings recalls asking Trebek how he was doing, to which he replied, \u201cA lot of people don\u2019t get to hear the nice things said about them after they\u2019re gone. I\u2019m still here.’\u201d Jennings went on to say that Trebek used to get \u201ctens of thousands of pieces of mail,\u201d including quilts, letters, and remedies.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he had hosted that show for decades without really realizing what he meant to us, and it was only in the final months that he saw how important he was to a massive viewing audience. And I was really touched by that.\u201d<\/p>\n Jennings said that despite Trebek not being a hugger, they hugged at the end of the interaction.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there is a difference between my hosting and Alex, I\u2019m, like, just not as good,\u201d Jennings told the crowd. \u201cIt\u2019s that I have been a contestant before. So when I see the players, I know the emotional state they\u2019re in. It\u2019s very intense to play Jeopardy!.\u201d<\/p>\n Alex Trebek died<\/a> on November 8, 2020, at the age of 80, from stage 4 pancreatic cancer<\/a>. Trebek began hosting Jeopardy! in 1984 and stopped in October 2020. His last episode aired in January 2021. Ken Jennings then took over with Mayim Bialik<\/a> as cohost. In December 2023, he became the sole host of the game show.<\/p>\n The host also gave an update on the beloved announcer, Johnny Gilbert. \u201cGilbert has never missed a show in 42 years,\u201d he said. Jennings added that he is in his 90s and is in \u201cphenomenal shape.\u201d \u201cThat is his hair, believe it or not,\u201d he added. However, Gilbert doesn\u2019t come in to the studio anymore and records all of the intros from his home.<\/p>\n