Alex Trebek, the late host of answer-and-question game show Jeopardy!, will be honored on a U.S. Forever stamp. And no, you won’t need to put anything in the form of a question when you go to buy it.
On an episode of Jeopardy! this week, host Ken Jennings – who officially took the sole hosting spot just last year after various temporary and co-hosts – announced that Alex Trebek would be receiving the honor, with pre-orders on the stamp already available. Trebek passed away in 2020 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
This Forever edition is one of the more clever pop culture designs of the first-class stamp to date, with text mimicking the show’s famous clue board and reading: “THIS NATURALIZED U.S. CITIZEN HOSTED THE QUIZ SHOW ‘JEOPARDY!’ FOR 37 SEASONS”. When you turn the stamp upside down, the stamp reveals the question and honoree: “Who is Alex Trebek?” At the top of each row are the following categories: Entertainment, Game Show Hosts, Famous Alexes, and Forever Stamps. You can see the complete design here.
Alex Trebek’s honor also coincides with Jeopardy!’s 60th anniversary, having launched in 1964 with Art Fleming serving as host until 1979. In 1984, Alex Trebek took over hosting duties in the syndicated version, leaving his mark as one of the longest-running game show hosts ever. For many, Trebek made trivia accessible through his encouragement of knowledge and curiosity. And who didn’t have their own “interesting fact” tucked away just in case they ever made it on the show?
An official event for Alex Trebek’s Forever stamp will be held on Monday, July 22nd – what would have been the legend’s 84th birthday – and feature Jennings and Trebek’s widow, Jean, in attendance.
Prior to Jeopardy!, Alex Trebek also hosted a number of Canadian game shows, The $128,000 Question and more. He would go on to make several appearances in movies and TV shows as himself, most notably 1992’s White Men Can’t Jump and in an all-time classic episode of Cheers.
Were you a fan of Jeopardy! under Alex Trebek? Share your memories of watching the game show in the comments section below.