Alex Trebek’s Net Worth 2023

The net worth of Alex Trebek was estimated to be $75 million at the time of his death on November 8, 2020.

Alex Trebek’s most notable accomplishment is the fact that he spent 37 seasons as the host of the syndicated general knowledge quiz show “Jeopardy!” from its revival in 1984 until his passing in 2020. Trebek hosted a variety of game shows in addition to "The Wizard of Odds," "Double Dare," "High Rollers," "Classic Concentration," and "To Tell the Truth."

Along with that, he made numerous appearances in films and TV shows. Trebek, a native of Canada, naturalized as a citizen of the United States in 1998. For his work on “Jeopardy,” he won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host eight times.

After a 20-month battle with stage IV pancreatic cancer, which he was initially diagnosed with in March 2019, he passed away on November 8, 2020, at the age of 80. Trebek had a contract to host “Jeopardy!” until 2022 at the time of his passing.

Personal Information

Net Worth (2023)

The estimated net worth of Alex Trebek at the time of his death, on November 8, 2020, was $75 million. Trebek received an annual salary of $18 million from "Jeopardy!" He shot five episodes per day during the 46 days the show was in production. In other words, he made about $78,000 per actual episode, or about $391,000 every tape day.

Vanna White's salary was $208,333 per work day, while Pat Sajak's was $312,500. These figures are in contrast to the hosts of another well-known, long-running game show, “Wheel of Fortune.” Pat made $52,083 per show, and Vanna made $34,722 per show, to break it down per show.

Sources of Income

Among other roles he played in shows as either panelists or players, Alex Trebek's hosting career served as his primary source of income. The amount of money he made from his other endeavors and roles is unknown; however, his salary from his most well-known show, "Jeopardy!" was $18 million.

In 1963, Trebek made his hosting debut for the Canadian music show "Music Hop." He also hosted the high school quiz show "Reach for the Top" (1966), classical music shows on CBC from 1967 to 1970, and the weekly afternoon game show “Strategy” (1969). After being hired by NBC to host the brand-new game show "The Wizard of Odds," he relocated to the United States in 1974.

He served as the host of several shows in the 1970s and 1980s, including "High Rollers" for NBC, "The $128,000 Question" season 2, and "Double Dare," his one and only appearance on CBS.

Trebek also hosted "Battlestars" on NBC, which only aired for six months from October 1981 to April 1982. His tenure as host of the show "Pitfall" came to an end without him getting paid because the production company Catalena Productions filed for bankruptcy.

Jeopardy!

Trebek produced two episodes for a revival of the game show "Jeopardy!" in collaboration with game show media tycoon Merv Griffin, and the show was picked up. The role he is best known for in his lengthy career is hosting it, which he started doing in 1984. After Art Fleming, the original "Jeopardy!" host, turned down the gig over creative differences, he was hired as the show's host.

Since then, the "Jeopardy!" revival has enjoyed phenomenal success, taking home a record-breaking 33 Daytime Emmy Awards. The Guinness World Record for the most game show episodes hosted by the same presenter was set by "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek in 2014 when he reached 6,829 episodes, surpassing Bob Barker's mark from "The Price is Right."

In 1991, he also made broadcast history by becoming the first person to simultaneously host three American game shows, including "To Tell the Truth," "Classic Concentration," and "Jeopardy!"

Additionally, from 1984 to 1987, Alex produced 620 episodes of “Jeopardy!”. He has produced two documentaries, “Game Changers” and “Eyes of Faith,” in addition to other works. However, it is unknown how much money he made.

Other Shows

Trebek participated as a player or panelist on a wide range of shows in addition to his hosting roles. He participated in a week-long round-robin tournament on NBC's "Card Sharks" in 1980 alongside several other game show hosts, including Allen Ludden, Bill Cullen, Wink Martindale, Jack Clark, and Gene Rayburn. In the end, he was the tournament's victor.

Additionally, he appeared on NBC's "The Magnificent Marble Machine" (1975) and "To Say the Least" (1978). When Trebek and Jim McKrell participated in "Celebrity Bowling" in 1976, they triumphed over Dick Gautier and Scatman Crothers.

Endorsements

Alex Trebek has earned millions of dollars through numerous endorsement deals over the course of his career. Trebek signed lucrative endorsement contracts with brands like Drivetime, Holiday Inn Express, DirecTV, Wheat Thins, and Colonial Penn Life Insurance Company. His endorsement-related earnings have not yet been made public, though.

Expenditure

Car Collection

There isn't much information available about Alex Trebek's car collection, but he reportedly had a 1956 Jaguar XK 140 MC Roadster.

Philanthropy

Trebek said he donates a significant portion of his income to charity each year in a 2014 podcast interview with “The Nerdist.” He gave the Santa Monica Conservancy 74 acres of land in the Hollywood Hills in 1998.

The donation increased the public parkland's size by twofold. Hikers and cyclists had already made extensive use of the trails.

He gave $5 million to the University of Ottawa in 2016 to support the creation of the Alex Trebek Forum for Dialogue. His alma mater has received a total of $7.5 million in donations from him.

Real Estate Assets

Trebek's primary residence was a $2.15 million mansion measuring 10,000 square feet in Studio City, California. This house was put up for sale by Alex's widow in January 2022 for just under $7 million.

He invested $4.1 million to purchase a 724-acre horse ranch in Creston, a small town in rural California, in the middle of the 1990s. For $10 million, he sold the ranch in 2005.

He put his 30-acre lake house in Nacimiento, California, up for sale in 2019 for $1.4 million. Within a few months, he received $1.3 million for this house.