Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune boss addresses Alex Trebek, James Holzhauer and why Wheel hasn't had a same-sex couple

The Hollywood Reporter

Harry Friedman, who announced today he's en ding his 25-year run as executive producer for both game shows in 2020, insisted that he's not retiring in a wide-ranging interview with The Hollywood Reporter. On Trebek's cancer battle, Friedman said: "Alex is remarkable in many ways not the least of which is he’s got an iron will and an unequaled determination to beat this." Asked about Holzhauer, Friedman added: "It’s exciting for us to have a contestant like that who just grabs national headlines and brings a lot more excitement to the show than anything else possibly could — to see someone that proficient and gutsy play the game like it’s never been played before." As for why Wheel of Fortune has never had a same-sex couple compete, Friedman said: "It’s something that’s been discussed and like everything else that we do, we take very measured steps. And we have just not made that decision to do that yet."