Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek throws his fist in the air and claims he was ‘out there in the Afro-American community as a brother’ in the 80s because of his tan and afro in bizarre interview
- Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, 78, was interviewed by TMZ founder Harvey Levin
- The white 78-year-old described how someone mistook him for a relative of black dancer Gregory Hines at United Negro College Fund telethon in the 80s
- He explained that his look in the 80s included a dark afro and tanned skin
- Raising his fist in the air, Trebek proclaimed: ‘I’m out there in the Afro-American community as a brother’
- TMZ tweeted the clip on Thursday, drawing widespread public confusion
- The full interview will air Sunday on Fox News
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek has said he was ‘out there in the Afro-American community as a brother’ back in the 80s thanks to an afro and a dark tan.
Trebek’s unlikely comments came up in an interview with TMZ founder Harvey Levin when the 78-year-old was detailing an appearance on a United Negro College Fund telethon in the 80s.
‘I ran into Gregory Hines, the dancer. Someone came up to me after and said: ‘I saw you and your brother talking over there,’ he explained, implying that Trebek and the black dancer were related.
The Canadian-American game show host – who is white – went on to say: ‘Now keep in mind, at this stage in my career I had the afro, I had the mustache, and a very dark tan.’
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek described how his 80s afro and dark tan put him ‘out there in the Afro-American community as a brother’ in a new interview with TMZ founder Harvey Levin
The now-78-year-old Trebek, left, was describing how he’d been mistaken for a relative of black dancer Gregory Hines, right, at United Negro College Fund telethon in the 80s
The Canadian-American game show host raised his fist and proclaimed: ‘I’m out there in the Afro-American community as a brother’
Raising his fist in the air, Trebek proclaimed: ‘I’m out there in the Afro-American community as a brother.’
Levin can’t contain his laughter as Trebek, dressed in a butter-yellow sweater and blue jeans, proudly described the experience.
The famed TV personality has been hosting game shows since the 60s, and is best known for the three and a half decades he’s spent on Jeopardy! after helping revive the show in 1984.
The full interview with Levin will air Sunday on Fox News at 8pm and 11pmEST.
TMZ teased a clip of the interview on Thursday, drawing widespread confusion from Twitter users.
Trebek has been the host of numerous game shows in the US and Canada since the 60s. He is best known for his more than three decades and counting on Jeopardy!
TMZ tweeted a clip of the interview on Thursday, drawing widespread confusion from users who responded with gifs like the one above of comedian Leslie Jones
Another user posted a photo from the SNL skit Black Jeopardy with host Kenan Thompson
A user under the name Person Man Guy tweeted a photoshopped image of White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders with a confused expression
Someone by the name Frasier Ramon responded to the Trebek clip with a photo of a washing machine set to Whitest Whites
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