In terms of what's popular on television these days, Jeopardy! is probably one of the more wholesome options. There are no racy scenes, violence, or vulgar language. But that doesn't mean the 60-year-old game show is without its drama. Ever since the late Alex Trebek passed away in 2020, the rumor mill has been swirling about who would take over the hosting stage. For the longest time, the gossip surroundedMayim Bialik, with whom fans had a love-hate relationship. But after she confirmed in late 2023 that she'd no longer be sharing hosting duties, all eyes were on her co-host, Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings.
While his fans were thrilled when Jennings secured the spot as the sole host of the syndicated series, he hasn't escaped criticism. Jennings has found himself in the hot seat over failing to clarify contestants' wagers, mistakenly deeming responses correct, and even for some of his "annoying" habits. These repeated negative headlines have led to chatter that he's actually leaving Jeopardy!, including a theory that he'll be permanently replaced by Colin Jost, who was recently announced as the host of a new spinoff, Pop Culture Jeopardy!.
But sources have now come forward, claiming Jennings is "desperate" to stick with his hosting gig.
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"He’s desperate to make it work and has no intention of leaving of his own accord," an anonymous insider told Closer. "Ken’s well aware of the noise and tittle-tattle, and privately he would acknowledge these are tough times—especially with Colin Jost coming on to host Pop Culture Jeopardy! and fans calling him awkward, which is hard to take."
"But he’s insisting there’s a share of blame here," they continued. "He doesn’t write the lines or pick the questions and contestants, and won’t be made a scapegoat!"
"He won’t take this treatment. He’s calling on bosses to be more supportive and warning people not to trip him up,” the source concluded. “Ken doesn’t understand why viewers think this is all his fault, because it’s not. He believes others need to take responsibility. He’s done playing Mr. Nice Guy!”
According to the New York Post, Jennings reportedly does not have a long-term contract with Jeopardy!'s producer Sony.
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Jennings first appeared on the quiz show in 2004 as a contestant, garnering a record-setting 74 consecutive wins. In 2020, he was named interim host when Trebek's health worsened, and most viewers assumed he would transition into a permanent host role.
However, even then, fans were voicing their frustrations. As the Wall Street Journalreported in 2021, several of Jennings' old Tweets were resurfaced, causing controversy. For example, one read, "Nothing sadder than a hot person in a wheelchair."
Jeopardy! executive producer Mike Richards then briefly took over hosting duties until he, too, was embroiled in scandal. (It was brought to light that he had previously been accused of pregnancy and gender discrimination in producing roles.)
That's when Jeopardy! decided to split the hosting role between Jennings and Bialik until Bialik's tenure ended late last year.
However, an anonymous source also spoke to The U.S. Sunearlier this month and claimed Sony has no plans to get rid of Jennings.
"Knowing the leadership at Sony Pictures TV, the last reason they would fire Ken Jennings is because of on-air mistakes," the insider shared. "It's not a live show; it's taped well in advance, and therefore, mistakes are just as much, if not more, the producer's and writers' responsibility as they are Ken's."
"Instead, the only real reason to replace Ken is if the ratings took a nosedive, and that hasn't happened yet," they added.
Best Life reached out to Sony for comment and will update the story when we hear back.
