Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest Recall Late Alex Trebek's Impact on Their Lives

The “Live with Kelly and Ryan” co-hosts were among the many celebrities that shared their impressions on Trebek’s lasting legacy and how it touched them personally.

50-year-old Kelly Ripa and her 45-year-old “Live With Kelly and Ryan” co-host Ryan Seacrest were devastated, like all the people who knew him and loved him both on and off camera, by the passing of the iconic game show host Alex Trebek.

Trebek, the longtime, beloved host of “Jeopardy!,” lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on November 8, 2020, at the age of 80, and to honor him, Ripa and Seacrest looked back at his legacy and how he impacted their lives in an interview with ET.

First of all, Ripa declared herself a fan of Trebek, acknowledging that she “played ‘Jeopardy!’ with him every night,” and while Trebek even visited her show, she never stopped feeling like a fan.

Apart from the good times that “Jeopardy!” provided to Ripa under the direction of Trebek, she expressed her gratitude for everything that she has learned in the show, which has made her feel “smarter.”

Seacrest, on the other hand, had a more personal link to the late game show host, starting when Seacrest was just a 19-year-old aspiring broadcaster that had recently moved to Los Angeles.

As Seacrest revealed to the news outlet, the legendary TV host Merv Griffin used to invite Seacrest watch as “Jeopardy!” was made, and seeing Trebek working on TV and behind the scenes had a big influence on him.

Seacrest also took to his Instagram feed as soon as he heard the news of Trebek’s passing, and he paid homage to the latter in a heartfelt caption on which he described Trebek as “a family member” that he “watched every night.”

“He was a big influence and one of a kind. Rest in peace, Alex,” Seacrest wrote, once again remembering when he used to visit the set of “Jeopardy!” before becoming a household name himself on television.

Ripa and Seacrest have been co-hosts of “Live with Kelly and Ryan” for the last three years, and the two not only have great chemistry, but have also grown very close, so when Ripa had to host the show by herself for a couple of days recently, he was certainly missed.

Mid-October, Seacrest had to take a leave from taping the show for two days because of a health scare that had him fear he might have become infected with COVID-19.

Fortunately, Seacrest tested negative for the novel coronavirus and was able to return to the show as they continue to tape it under the most strict security protocols, and without a live audience.

As much as Ripa has admitted to loving working with Seacrest, apart from enjoying his friendship for about two decades, she recently hinted that she is considering to retire from the show to focus on writing and working behind the scenes.