Alex Trebek reciting Lizzo is like puppies reciting kitties. It’s like French fries reciting pizza. It’s like the last time Alex Trebek brought up Lizzo. Both are so deeply beloved, it’s a recipe to bring joy to viewers everywhere. It’s what those in the non-nerd world would probably call a lay-up for the Jeopardy! production team. But we’re all nerds here, and we all delight in Jeopardy! moments, and we all need things to make us smile right now. On March 26, Jeopardy! aired a new episode with the category “Lyrics of Today,” which meant Trebek had to drily recite the following thousand-dollar clue:
Her: “New man on the Minnesota Vikings, truth hurts, needed something more exciting, bom bom bi dom bi dum bum bay.”
Contestant Evan Singer answered, “Who is Lizzo?” and Trebek deadpanned: “I did it exactly like she does, didn’t I?” Of course, a clip of this has gone viral on Twitter, with Variety writer Rebecca Rubin tweeting, “Alex Trebek singing Lizzo is exactly what we needed today.”
As of March 16, Jeopardy! has suspended taping new episodes, as a coronavirus safety measure. At the time, the show clarified that previously taped new episodes would continue to air for the time being. So no, Trebek didn’t gather the whole production together just so they can watch him recite “Truth Hurts” in a monotone; this new episode was recorded in the before-times.