Back in 2016, an anonymous woman shared footage on YouTube approaching the late, great, Alex Trebek and asking him to confirm whether or not he lived in her aunt’s Ottawa basement when he was younger — a tale her father had been swearing by her entire life.
The clip was eventually picked up by a TikTok user and has since gone viral.
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In November 2020, an anonymous woman shared a clip she had taken on her phone, approaching Alex Trebek, and asking him to confirm an old family tale of hers.
The late Jeopardy host responded in the best way possible.
While the original user who shared the video has opted to remain anonymous, the clip was eventually re-shared on TikTok in 2020 by a user named Cornelius.
“You know those unbelievable stories your parents tell you? BELIEVE IT! We don’t lie ever,” they captioned the post.
The clip went viral, garnering more than 2-million views.
Following Trebek’s untimely death in November 2020, fans flocked to the heartwarming footage, calling it “a perfect example of his character,” and dubbing the story “very Canadian.”
Outside of a Washington, D.C. venue, the woman explained to Trebek that he had been a part of their family’s lore for decades.
“I was actually hoping you could settle some familial lore,” the woman says in the video .
She explained that her father had told her that Trebek used to stay at their aunt’s house in Ottawa, Canada.
“My father said that you lived in the basement of his aunt’s house in Ottawa when you were quite young,” she shared .
She added that despite some of the skepticism, her father insisted the story was true.
“He has contended this for 20 years,” she said. “And now today, when I confronted him about it, he said, ‘Well, I’m pretty sure I didn’t make it up.’”
The crowd of people surrounding Trebek laughed at the woman’s story, as she revealed the name of her aunt: Mary Clayman.
Trebek took a moment to recall before confirming the story and hilariously admitting to dating Mary’s daughter at the time.
“And I dated her daughter, Norma Clayman,” he said as the crowd burst into laughter and applause.
“I owe my dad a beer,” the woman joked in defeat.
So, there you have it. All those seemingly unlikely tales parents like to tell might be true after all!
Watch the full video here:
Let us know what you think of the recently resurfaced clip of Alex Trebek revealing that he lived in a fan’s aunt’s basement in Ottawa before his career took off, in the comments below.
