Alex Trebek, Pat Sajak's 'Incredible' April Fool's Joke Goes Viral

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Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, newspapers and broadcast, specializing in entertainment, politics, LGBTQ+ and health reporting. Shannon has covered high profile celebrity trials along with industry analysis of all the big trends in media, pop culture and the entertainment business generally. Shannon stories have featured on the cover of the Newsweek magazine and has been published in publications such as, The Guardian, Monocle, The Independent, SBS, ABC, Metro and The Sun. You can get in touch with Shannon by email at s.power@newsweek.com and on X @shannonjpower. Languages: English, Greek, Spanish.


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TV fans went wild for a resurfaced April Fool's joke starring legendary game show hosts Alex Trebek and Pat Sajak.

Trebek was the long running host of quiz show Jeopardy! until his death in 2020, while Sajak has hosted Wheel of Fortune since 1981.

But on one April Fool's Day, the pair got some inspiration from the movie Freaky Friday and decided to switch roles, leaving the live studio audience both delighted and confused.

alex trebek and pat sajak
Game show hosts Alex Trebek (L) and Pat Sajak (R) pose on the set of the "Jeopardy!" Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational Tournament Show Taping on April 17, 2010 in Culver City, California. A resurfaced video... Amanda Edwards/Getty Images North America

During a special episode Wheel of Fortune in 1997, Trebek walked out to host the show with no signs of Sajak anywhere.

"Welcome to our special, Tuesday, April 1 edition of Wheel of Fortune. I'll leave you to figure out why I am here today," he said in the video posted to Twitter which has been viewed 370,000 times.

Trebek then welcomed Sajak's wife, Lesly Sajak, to the stage and asked her if she'd ever played an April Fool's prank on someone.

"As a matter of fact, I did today, I called Vanna (White) at home and I told her not to come into work today because the taping's been canceled," she joked and told Trebek she had appeared on Wheel of Fortune previously to model the prizes but had never done co-host Vanna White's job of turning the letters.

Trebek then revealed he had previously hosted Wheel of Fortune, saying, "I was the guest host for an entire week and I had a done such a good job that producers couldn't wait to ask me back. And so here I am today 16 years later."

He had previously covered for host Chuck Woolery in 1980 and also in 1985 for Sajak.

Trebek then introduced the contestants who turned out to be the real co-hosts, White and Sajak. They played a full game to raise money for charities and managed to win $25,000 for their respective charities.

"I've got to start by saying I admire your courage because I'm often asked would I ever be a contestant on my show and I say 'never, not even in a super senior's tournament,'" he said.

Sajak later returned the favor and hosted Jeopardy! but Trebek did not compete as a contestant.

Fans who saw the viral tweet loved being reminded of the quirky crossover moment.

"That's incredible," tweeted one fan.

Another added: "This was fire."

And a third wrote: "S*** just don't happen like it used to in the 90s."

Sajak and Trebek remained good friends throughout their careers until the latter's death from pancreatic cancer in November 2020.

The Wheel of Fortune host paid tribute to his old friend on Twitter.

"Alex Trebek's courage, grace, and strength inspired millions and awed those of us who knew him. A tremendous loss for his family, friends, co-workers, and countless viewers. I was honored to be a friend and a part of his professional family for all these years. A very sad day," he wrote in 2020.

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About the writer

Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, newspapers and broadcast, specializing in entertainment, politics, LGBTQ+ and health reporting. Shannon has covered high profile celebrity trials along with industry analysis of all the big trends in media, pop culture and the entertainment business generally. Shannon stories have featured on the cover of the Newsweek magazine and has been published in publications such as, The Guardian, Monocle, The Independent, SBS, ABC, Metro and The Sun. You can get in touch with Shannon by email at s.power@newsweek.com and on X @shannonjpower. Languages: English, Greek, Spanish.


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Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more