According to Sony emails exposed by hackers, Alex Trebek's long and celebrated run on "Jeopardy" nearly ended recently over the reaction of an 11-year-old contestant who was booted from "Final Jeopardy."
According to Radar Online, Trebek blew up at a request to re-tape the "Final Jeopardy" segment of the show after the contestant learned she could not participate because she was in the negative or "red." The girl ran off the set during the taping, visibly upset, according to the email exchange, which said a producer and her mother got her to return.
The mother, though, was angered at Trebek's reaction to the incident.
"If he had taken the time, he would have known, like you do, that my daughter is not a sore loser, and does not become emotional solely over losing a game," the woman wrote, according to hacked emails. "She was upset about not being able to completely play the game to the end."
An attempt to appease the mother with the re-tape request brought a stern rebuke from Trebek, noted Radar Online.
"I want to say that for 30 years I've defended our show against attacks inside and out," Trebek wrote. "But it doesn't seem to operate both ways. When I'm vilified, corporate (and certainly legal) always seems to say 'don't say anything and it'll blow over,' and I'm not feeling support from the producers, and that disappoints the s**t out of me.
"If I'm making mistakes and saying things you don't like, maybe it's time for me to move on," Trebek continued. "It's not a threat, but I want to let you know how I'm feeling."
Trebek has been the host of Jeopardy since 1984, according to Us Weekly. The incident happened during the annual "Kids Week" episodes "Jeopardy," which aired Dec. 1-5,
according to Us Weekly.
The email revelations are the latest in what has been an embarrassing hack of private emails, movies, and other documents at Sony by a group that calls themselves Guardians of Peace. Many speculate the leaks are connected with North Korea's anger over the upcoming Sony movie "The Interview."
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