Alex Trebek Says He Was Mistaken For A Black Man In The ’80s

A 2018 Fox interview with Alex Trebek has some Black social media users “drafting” the late game show host into the Black community. During a conversation with TMZ’s Harvey Levin, the beloved Jeopardy host disclosed that in the 1980s, he was frequently mistaken for a Black man due to his dark tan and curly brown hair.

Trebek’s affiliation with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) played a big part in the racial mix-up.

In the recently surfaced clip, Trebek, who passed away in 2020 from pancreatic cancer, clarified that his association with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) played a significant role in his racial confusion.

“They came to me and asked if I would be willing to appear on their telethon, and I said, ‘Of course,” the star, who is of Canadian and Ukrainian descent, shared.

While chatting with esteemed choreographer Gregory Hines, an attendee at the UNCF event, asked if Trebek was related to the dancer due to his afro and “very dark” tan.  

“Somebody came up to me afterward, and they said, ‘I saw you and your brother talking a few minutes ago. Now, keep in mind [that], at this stage in my career; I had the afro, I had the mustache and a very dark tan. I’m out there in the Afro-American community as a ‘brother,’” he explained to Levin as he smiled from ear to ear, holding up a Black power fist.

On Instagram and Twitter, Black users lit up with excitement at the prospect of the Jeopardy star being Black.

“We will take Trebek in the draft for sure,” entrepreneur Truckin Justin captioned the funny clip on Instagram March 2.

Justin claimed the Canadian star favored Oprah Winfrey’s longtime boyfriend, Stedman Graham. Under the clip, an Instagram user commented, “Real talk, I’m willing to bet if we look into his family history, we in there.”

Several Black X users said that if the game show legend was still on earth, he would have gladly received an invite to the “cookout,” a symbolic congregation within the Black community, typically reserved for Black individuals. Other users said they would claim “brotha” Trebek even if his family history failed to show traces of Black ancestry.

The hilarity!

During his candid sit-down with Levin, the 80-year-old star revealed that he wanted SiriusXM host and esteemed attorney Laura Coates to take over his role at Jeopardy if he were to retire. Sadly, executives behind the popular game show hired Ken Jennings shortly after his passing. 

That’s a shame! Coates would have been a great choice.

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