‘Jeopardy!’ celebrates 98th birthday of the show’s longest working employee

Life & CulturePublished: Jul. 15, 2026, 3:45 a.m.Johnny Gilbert has been the announcer of "Jeopardy!" since 1984. (Photo by Beck Starr/WireImage; Ted Soqui/Corbis via Getty Images)(Photo by Beck Starr/WireImage; Ted Soqui/Corbis via Getty Images)By Kelly Corbett | kcorbett@syracuse.comYou can’t watch an episode of Jeopardy! without hearing his iconic voice say those three magic words: “This is ‘Jeopardy!’”Yes, we’re talking about Johnny Gilbert. The longtime announcer celebrated his 98th birthday this week and the show didn’t miss the opportunity to celebrate one of its own.“A very happy birthday to our legendary announcer, Johnny Gilbert,” read a post across “Jeopardy!’s” social channels on Monday.The post included several photos of Gilbert throughout his time on the popular TV quiz show.