The cat is out of the bag. NFL great Aaron Rodgers will be one of the next celebrities to guest host "Jeopardy!"
The Green Bay Packers quarterback announced the news on Tuesday, first prematurely on "The Pat McAfee Show" then later confirming it during a Packers media briefing held to address the upcoming playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams.
"I’m really excited about it," Rodgers told reporters, according to The Washington Post. The NFL star then apologized to "Jeopardy!" producers after he "jumped the gun" by sharing the news with McAfee.
"I just got so excited on the show earlier," Rodgers continued. "It just went down the last couple of days, us figuring it out. It’s for the offseason — we’ll be even more excited when that opportunity gets a little closer."
During the media session, Rodgers recalled how "special" the game show has been throughout his life.
"It’s been a staple at my house here in Green Bay for the last 16 years — 6 o’clock, watching Alex, and trying to get as many questions as I can," he said. "When the opportunity came up in 2015, I mean, that was a dream come true. It really was. To be on there, to get to meet Alex, was just such a special moment, and we’re all obviously sad about his passing."
Last year "Jeopardy!" announced that it would be welcoming several celebrity guests to host the show until a permanent replacement is found for Alex Trebek, who died on Nov. 8 at age 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Ken Jennings, the all-time champion, made his debut on Monday and won viewers over after delivering a touching tribute to Trebek during the show's opening.
"Sharing this stage with Alex Trebek was one of the greatest honors of my life. Not many things in life are perfect, but Alex did this job pretty much perfectly for more than 36 years, and it was even better up close. We were dazzled by his intelligence, charm and grace," Jennings said, according to Yahoo! Entertainment.
"Like all 'Jeopardy!' fans, I miss Alex very much and I thank him for everything he did for all of us," he continued. "Let’s be totally clear: No one will ever replace the great Alex Trebek. But we can honor him by playing the game he loved."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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