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Credit: NBCLegendary Jeopardy champion Ken Jennings is currently the sole host of the long-running quiz show after Mayim Bialik publicly revealed earlier this month that she would not return in 2024. Now, Jennings has publicly spoken up about the controversial situation with his former co-host, saying it took him “off guard.”
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ken Jennings was asked about Mayim Bialik’s announcement, saying:
“It took me off guard, because I loved working with my Mayim and I’m gonna miss her. I can’t speak to her decision-making process or her opinions about it. But on my end, I’m just a fan of Jeopardy! and I’m always delighted to host when they call upon me. I just feel extremely lucky to have even been considered for this job as a non-broadcaster.”
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Ken Jennings continued on discussing his Jeopardy fandom and reverence for late host Alex Trebek’s decades-long tenure on the show, but it is quite telling that he did not seem to be in the loop when it came to Mayim Bialik and whether she would return to the show at any point.
Mayim Bialik stepped away from her Jeopardy hosting duties in May in solidarity with the then-striking Writers Guild of America, though she was not required to by any union rules. At the time, much of the fanbase was highly critical of Bialik’s hosting style and perceived mistakes on Celebrity Jeopardy and the regular edition of the show, and, unsurprisingly, many fans called for her to be outright fired from the franchise.
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At the same time, Ken Jennings was also criticized by many fans for not also stepping away from the show during the WGA (and later SAG-AFTRA) strikes and was described by some as a “scab,” though defended by others. Late in the year, Jennings was announced to be taking over the franchise (the American version, anyway) as the sole host for the foreseeable future.
Now, it has been made official: Ken Jennings is the public face of Jeopardy, and he seems to have been a bit blind-sided by Mayim Bialik being fired from the show.
Inside the Magic reached out to Jeopardy for comment, but has not heard back by the time of publishing.
Do you think Ken Jennings needs a co-host on Jeopardy? Let us know in the comments below!