Credit: Sony Pictures, CBSLike many shows and movies currently in production, the game show Jeopardy! (1964-present) is being heavily affected by the writer’s strike. However, host Ken Jennings’ decision to stay on the program has received mixed responses from the public and a massive reaction from actor Wil Wheaton.
Originally started in 1964 and hosted by Art Fleming, Jeopardy! has easily become the most popular game show in the United States of America. It caused Alex Trebek to become an icon and made the phrases “daily double,” “Final Jeopardy,” and “that has to be in the form of a question” be ingrained in pop culture forever.
After Alex Trebek’s unfortunate passing, producer Mike Richards was briefly the host before resigning in controversy. He was followed by two co-hosts: actor Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings, often considered the greatest Jeopardy! player of all time alongside James Holzhauer, Brad Rutter, and Amy Schneider.
Due to the writer’s strike, production has been affected for many shows, including Jeopardy! While Mayim Bialik has temporarily walked away from the program in support of the WGA strike, Ken Jennings is staying put. And actor Wil Wheaton isn’t happy about it.
Wil Wheaton Warns’ Jeopardy’ Host Ken Jennings: “This is a Very Small Town.”
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Known for his stints on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994), The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019), and making it to the finals of Celebrity Jeopardy!, Wil Wheaton has been passionate about unions since he was a child actor. So naturally, when Ken Jennings crossed the picket line after Mayim Bialik did not, he had a few choice words to say to the host of America’s Favorite Quiz Show.
In a post on Facebook, Wheaton said, “This is a VERY small town, Ken Jennings, and we will all remember this. Your privilege may protect you right now, but we will *never* forget.” He ended his comment with #WGAStrong.
Related: ‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Call Category the “Worst Thing the Show Has Done”
After the post gained much attention from both sides of the picket line, Wheaton edited his post to emphasize why he supported the strike.
“I’ll offer one example of how outrageous the AMPTP’s position is: David Zaslav is the new CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery. Last year, he was paid about a quarter of a BILLION dollars. That’s one man who is already a billionaire.” He then quoted comedian Adam Conover, “That’s about the same level as what 10,000 writers are asking him to pay all of us collectively.”
Ken Jennings has made no comment at this time.
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