Why is Alex Trebek’s family donating his ‘Jeopardy’ suits to charity?

Almost four months have passed since gameshow fans around the world were forced to say goodbye to one of the greatest hosts of all time, Alex Trebek. In November, Alex Trebek lost a long battle to pancreatic cancer, well over a year after he had been diagnosed with the fatal disease. 

Alex Trebek was not your average game show host, as the legend hosted everyone’s favorite trivia show Jeopardy for thirty-six years & thirty-seven seasons from 1984 right up until his passing in 2020.

Alex’s legacy

Alex Trebek had been open about his fight against cancer before his passing, and the beloved host worked up until his final days with the hard-working spirit of the show from which he will be most famously remembered. 

Alex Trebek’s fame & adoration transcended his role as host of Jeopardy as he was immortalized on SNL’s recurring “Celebrity Jeopardy” skit in over fourteen sketches between 1996 & 2015. 

Trebek was more than a gameshow host –  he showed himself to be a downright beloved TV personality, going on to appear on multiple other TV programs including The Simpsons, Good Morning America, The Colbert Report, and The X-Files. 

Alex Trebek’s fighting spirit & humanitarian nature live on after his death and have been most recently showcased in his family’s donating his famous Jeopardy suits to charity. NBC News spoke to Alex Trebek’s son Matt and reported today about the Trebek family’s donations as well as their healing since the Trebek patriarch’s recent passing.

Dapper donations

Matt Trebek is shown solemn but hopeful in a video NBC News provided interviewing the Jeopardy host’s son and his family’s decision to donate his late father’s famous threads. The video segment also features an interview with Alex in his final days as the host wished to be remembered as helpful, generous, and kind.

The Trebek family is honoring Alex’s wishes by donating his suits to the Doe Fund, an organization helping formerly incarcerated, homeless, and individuals struggling with addiction. 

Alex Trebek’s son Matt has stated there are hundreds of dress suits, jackets, and ties from the Jeopardy wardrobe worn by his father, and a large portion of these pieces will go to the Doe Fund. Some of the items donated to the Doe Fund will be fourteen suits, fifty-eight dress shirts, fourteen sweaters, and 300 neckties.

The Doe Fund provides resources for work, career training, and housing, and we can only imagine some of those most in need of help will be showing up to job interviews (or on an interview zoom screen) clad in Alex Trebek’s Jeopardy wear. 

More than clothes

Alex Trebek’s philanthropic legacy goes further than his family’s donating his former swag to the Doe Fund. 

Just before Trebek passed last November, he finished up writing his memoir, The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life, which was released in July 2020. All of the proceeds from his book have & will go to charity in one of Trebek’s final & most moving acts.

Alex Trebek’s final act only underscores the humanitarian work he did for most of his life; the Jeopardy host was an active member of many charity organizations such as World Vision Canada & United Service Organizations, among others. He was known for making donations regularly, like the $5 million he gave to University of Ottawa in 2016.

Trebek’s giving spirit lives on with the posthumous donation of his clothes, however, not all of Alex Trebek’s clothes will be donated. Alex’s son Matt has said he will hold on to a single piece of clothing from his late father: a tie that was gifted to the Jeopardy host by his wife, Matt’s mother Jean Currivan Trebek 😭.