Credit: NBCFormer Jeopardy co-host Mayim Bialik is receiving new attacks for stepping away from the show during the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and this time from a shockingly close source.
Recently, Mayim Bialik announced that she would no longer be co-hosting Jeopardy with former champion Ken Jennings in solidarity with the striking members of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA. Even more recently, she was actually completely replaced by Jennings in her usual role as host of Celebrity Jeopardy.
It is unclear when and if Mayim Bialik will be returning as a host of Jeopardy, to the vehement approval of a certain faction of fans of the quiz show, who have often delighted in pointing out the frequent gaffes and mistakes she made.
At the same time, many fans (and some celebrities like Wil Wheaton) have criticized Ken Jennings for not also stepping away in solidarity, going so far as to describe him as a “scab.”
Credit: Sony Pictures
However, it was not a fan that lashed out at Mayim Bialik, but her Jeopardy co-host Ken Jenning’s podcasting partner, John Roderick.
Related: Updates Reported on Mayim Bialik’s Exit From ‘Jeopardy!’
Ken Jennings and John Roderick
Ken Jennings and John Roderick have hosted the Omnibus podcast since 2017, doing deep dives into odd stories and historical events that they tongue-in-cheek describe as “our attempt to compile and preserve wonders and esoterica that would otherwise be lost.”
In a recent (now-deleted but screenshotted) Facebook post, John Roderick condemned people who criticized Jennings at great length. Among other things, Roderick wrote that “If you look at SAG-AFTRA rules there are contractual carve-outs for daytime television and game shows specifically. Ken is a member of SAG in good standing. Everyone in Hollywood is aware that different unions have different rules and different contracts apply differently to different jobs. Ken is not a scab, and anyone who says so is ignorant of how unions work.”
Roderick then got more personal, directly attacking Mayim Bialik and Wil Wheaton, writing that he would not “that Mayim or Wil Wheaton are SHOWBOATING…But there’s a lot of irrelevant virtue-signaling on this topic that, frankly, is both boring and idiotic. Mayim is doing what she’s doing in performative solidarity with the writer’s strike.”
Mayim Bialik and ‘Jeopardy’
John Roderick’s post continued on similar points and described Ken Jennings as having “too much professionalism to mindlessly debate this on social media and too much dignity to respond to idiots so he doesn’t weigh in on this. If you want MY thoughts: do a tiny modicum of independent research on the topic before you post. Google ‘is Ken Jennings a scab?’ – now keep reading… keep going, keep going.”
Credit: ABC
The various contractual rules of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are indeed complex, and it can be debated what (if any) responsibility Ken Jennings has to solidarity with the union that he is a member of, but it does appear the legendary Jeopardy champion is keeping his own opinions to himself.
Related: ‘Jeopardy!’ Host Mayim Bialik Facing Backlash for Changing Rules Mid-Show
For her part, Mayim Bialik also has a right to her own stances on her responsibility to her union and to Jeopardy itself. She’s probably used to being attacked by now.
Was John Roderick speaking out of turn for his words about Mayim Bialik and Jeopardy? Give us your opinion in the comments below.