Who is Johnny Gilbert? 'Jeopardy!' fans pay tribute to 'legendary announcer' on his 95th birthday

2023-07-14 16:24

In 2017, Johnny Gilbert was honored by the Guinness World Records for having the longest career as an announcer, thanks to his 32-year-long stint with ‘Jeopardy!’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: It didn’t take long for ‘Jeopardy!’ to become a fan-favorite game show, especially since it has been around since 1984, with 39 successful seasons. ‘Jeopardy!’ has seen a lot of legends come and go, and while Ken Jennings might be the most recent one, people cannot forget the voice of Johnny Gilbert.

Gilbert is best known for being an announcer on several game shows, some of which even date back to the 1950s. While that might seem like a while ago, the legend continues to live on and so does his legacy. The more you know about Gilbert, the more you understand why ‘Jeopardy!’ fans are so excited for his 95th birthday.

Who is Johnny Gilbert?

Gilbert has had a variety of careers in his time, but the most prominent one was being an announcer on game shows, and a special mention goes out to ‘Jeopardy!’. In fact, in 2017, Gilbert was honored by the Guinness World Records for having the longest career as an announcer, and this credit goes to his 32-year-long stint with ‘Jeopardy!’. Fans often remember Alex Trebek and Gilbert together. After Trebek’s tragic death, Gilbert did consider retiring but stuck around with ‘Jeopardy!’ for a little longer, becoming a living legend for the game show and the fans. Gilbert recently turned 95. So fans flocked to Twitter to wish him on his milestone birthday.

‘The legendary announcer’

Fans of ‘Jeopardy!’ were almost emotional on this occasion as they remembered Trebek while also celebrating Gilbert. One fan wrote, “Although Alex Trebek, the former host of Jeopardy, is no longer with us, we can be happy that Johnny Gilbert is still on Jeopardy!” Some have even wished him in the classic Gilbert announcing fashion as one tweet read, “Evenin’ and a very 🎉🥳Happy 95th Birthday🥳🎉 Mr. Johnny Gilbert! #Jeopardy.” Another fan tweeted, "Happy 95th Birthday, Johnny Gilbert. The legendary announcer of Jeopardy! I love to watch all-new episodes of our 39th Season of Jeopardy! at home right here in Birmingham, Alabama.” One fan wrote, “Happy 95 years of age today to the voice of Jeopardy! - the legendary announcer, Mr. Johnny Gilbert 💪 @Jeopardy 7/13/1928 #johnny #gilbert #Jeopardy #legend.”

Fans also recalled some moments associated with Gilbert as one fan tweeted, “An absolute legend! I love when Mayim says his full name ❤️ Happiest birthday Johnny Gilbert!!” Another wrote, “Happy Birthday! 😊 Your voice is as integral a part of Jeopardy! as any host. Be well & have a delightful Birthday, Johnny Gilbert.”