Katie Couric is set to guest host "Jeopardy !" from March 8-19.- The award-winning journalist will become the first female guest host in the TV show's history.
- A donation equal to the cumulative winnings of the contestants will be made to Stand Up To Cancer.
Katie Couric is making history as the first female guest host of "Jeopardy!"
The award-winning journalist will be taking on the role from March 8 to 19. Part of Couric's experience will include a donation equal to the contestants' cumulative winnings to Stand Up To Cancer, an organization she co-founded in 2008 that helps raise money for translational cancer research.
Couric will be the first celebrity guest host and others that are already set to take the helm include Aaron Rodgers, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Anderson Cooper, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Savannah Guthrie, and Mayim Bialik. A donation will be made to a charity of each celebrity guest host's choice too.
"Alex was a legend, revered by all of us," "Jeopardy!" executive producer Mike Richards said, according to ET Canada. "I want to thank our guest hosts, who will not only help all of us celebrate his great legacy, but also bring their own touch to the show."
In February, the executive producer told USA Today that the show picked the other guest hosts because each one felt strongly about honoring Trebek.
"There are people just kind of in the orbit that I knew feel very strongly about stepping in, not to try out for the role but to honor Alex. This is not a host competition. This is people who love this game, and their respect for Alex is off the charts," he said. "Each person brings their own intense love for the game. Aaron Rodgers loves that game at a visceral level."
"Jeopardy!" champion Ken Jennings was the first guest host since Alex Trebek died on November 8, 2020, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Couric will be the third, following executive producer Richards' stint in February.
Richards also told USA Today the show is considering everyone to become a permanent replacement but probably won't decide until the show begins its 38th season in September.
"Let's make sure we get someone we are going to feel even better about in a decade than we do this year," he said.