Jeopardy host Alex Trebek has apologized for his performance moderating a Pennsylvania gubernatorial debate on Monday.
Trebek was criticized for making light of the debate and asking candidates questions about the Philadelphia Eagles football team. He was monitoring the debate in Hershey between Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and Republican candidate Scott Wagner.
“I thought that as moderator, I was to provide a certain light-hearted approach while still being able to challenge the candidates on their record or positions,” Trebek wrote in a statement obtained by the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I didn’t realize I was to ask a simple question and then let the gentlemen go at each other.”
The longtime game show host said he “failed to recognize the seriousness of the event for the voters” and apologized to the “people of Pennsylvania, a state I dearly love.” Trebek, himself, was born and raised in Canada and now holds dual citizenship in both his homeland and the U.S.
