Alex Trebek’s son reveals the item of his dad’s clothing that he kept

He donated most of his father’s Jeopardy! suits to a nonprofit organisation that works to ‘break the cycles of homelessness, incarceration and recidivism’

(Getty Images)

Alex Trebek’s son has opened up about the item of his father’s clothing that he kept after the Jeopardy! host died in November at the age of 80.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight via Zoom, Matthew Trebek, 31, revealed that he kept a tie from his father’s wardrobe, because of the sentimental meaning attached to it. 

“I kept a tie that my mom had given my dad. As far as clothing goes, that was probably the most important item,” he said.

According to Matthew, almost everything else from his father’s Jeopardy! wardrobe went to The Doe Fund, a nonprofit organisation that works to “break the cycles of homelessness, incarceration, and recidivism,” by providing job opportunities and housing. However, Matthew said the family has yet to go through Trebek’s closet at home. 

“Almost everything fromJeopardy! went to The Doe Fund, and now we just have his closet at home here,” he said. “We’ll still sort through those [items], but for right now, those are kind of staying put.”

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Trebek’s wife Jean praised their son’s decision to donate the Jeopardy! host’s clothes to the nonprofit in an Instagram post last month, where she said that it had been Matthew’s idea and that it “warms [her] heart to know that Alex’s suits will be donated to such an important cause”.

“I sincerely appreciate my son, Matthew, and his great idea to donate his dad’s suits to @thedoefund. I had never heard about this amazing organisation until Matt brought it to my attention … it truly is so wonderful. It warms my heart to know that Alex’s suits will be donated to such an important cause,” she captioned a black and white photo of her late husband putting on his tie before an episode.

According to Matthew, he had decided on The Doe Fund because it is a “great mission and it is run by “really great, amazing people,” with the 31-year-old explaining that he first learned about the organisation while working at a restaurant in Harlem.

“I knew The Doe Fund working in Harlem at a restaurant. They have another location that’s not too far away. I think that the work they do, and the people that work for The Doe Fund, are really great, amazing people. So it kind of all made sense,” he said. “I think giving second chances, and helping guys who had a bit of a rough past get back on their feet, I think that’s a great mission. And something that me and my family all support.”

As for the types of clothes that the Jeopardy! host favoured when he wasn’t hosting the game show, which typically saw him dressed in a suit, Matthew said that his father liked to dress casually when he was at home, and that he wore the same items often until they developed holes.

“I grew up watching him on TV and seeing him dressed up. That was one way that I obviously viewed him,” he recalled. “And then being with him around the house, he was very casual, dressed down a lot. He did a lot of work around the house, so most of his [clothes], it would be jeans and a T-shirt. 

“A lot of the jeans and T-shirts had holes in them. Completely different than how he was on TV.”

Trebek died in November almost two years after he had publicly announced that he was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer.