Mark TV personality Katie Couric off the list of contenders for the role of new permanent “Jeopardy!” host.
Couric confirmed she won’t be the next Alex Trebek during a Q&A with Poynter published Tuesday. “Jeopardy!” is going through a rotation of celebrity guests until a replacement is chosen for Trebek, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in November 2020.
Why Katie Couric isn’t hosting ‘Jeopardy!’ https://t.co/6hK7WRSTWm pic.twitter.com/Tv2UgDRymm
— New York Post (@nypost) March 23, 2021
“I don’t think so,” Couric responded when asked if she’d be the next permanent host. “It was a really fun thing to do. I love what I’m doing now. I have tremendous flexibility. We’re building a multimedia organization and company. I’m developing scripted projects and documentary series, doing video shorts, a newsletter, a podcast. I’m so grateful that I can play in this whole arena. I’m really happy doing what I’m doing now.” (RELATED: REPORT: Katie Couric Will Host ‘Jeopardy!’)
Couric was the first woman to ever host “Jeopardy!” and she raised $230,000 for cancer research during her time hosting, the New York Post reported.
Couric called the show an “American institution” and said it was a “tough job.”
“I tried to make it my own, as Paula Abdul would say, but also respect the institution because ‘Jeopardy’ is not really a game show,” Couric told the outlet. “It doesn’t feel right to call it a game show. It is an American institution. I think it has become so a part of people’s lives that you don’t want to mess with a good thing. So I tried to strike that balance.”
“It was a lot of fun, but it was a very tough job,” she continued. “And I said to many of my friends who complimented me: Thank God for post-production.”