Alex Trebek Reveals He Had An Alzheimer’s Scare After Doctors Said His First Memory Lapse Test Didn’t ‘Look Good’

After having trouble recalling things as in timely a manner as usual, Alex Trebek opted to take a test for early onset Alzheimer’s — and his first results were extremely worrisome. “The first time they tested me they said, ‘It doesn’t look good,'” the longtime Jeopardy! host told Vulture in a new interview. “Then we did more testing and they said, ‘You’re okay. No need to worry.'”

It all began when Alex, 78, started experiencing memory lapses. “I love doing crossword puzzles, and recently I’d be looking at a clue, it’d be 23 across, and I’d be trying to fit the answer into 26 across. I was always off,” he recalled. “Because of that, I went to be tested for early Alzheimer’s.”

With the initial response after doctors tested Alex for the neurodegenerative disease, the game show host was not surprised at the concern considering his age. “It’s natural. I’m 78. It’s not like this happened at 50,” he said. “When it’s clear that it’s time for me to go, I’ll go.”

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first health scare that Alex has had. In Oct. 2017, the Canadian star had to undergo surgery to remove blood clots in his brain after suffering a fall. Yikes! The host was out of filming Jeopardy! for a couple months, but was able to return in early 2018 after announcing in a video update that his “prognosis is excellent.”

Alex has been a staple for Jeopardy! since he took on the role of the host in 1964. Since this year marks 34 years of being with the trivia show, fans are sadly wondering when Alex will have to say goodbye. In June, he revealed that his odds of leaving when his contract is set to end in 2020 are “50-50 and a little less.”

But on Nov. 1, Sony Pictures Television announced that Alex has extended his contract through the 2021-2022 season. Looks like we’ll still have the sensational host for at least three more years of Jeopardy!