Ken Jennings may understand why the Jeopardy! brass made the choice to move forward with just one host, but that doesn’t mean he’s willing to hear out any criticism about his former co-host. Mayim Bialik announced her exit from the classic quiz show in December, putting an end to years of debate over who was the best choice to follow in the footsteps of Alex Trebek. The Jeopardy! GOAT didn’t pull his punches when sounding off on the “clearly misogynistic” faction of fans who couldn’t accept a woman behind the lectern.
The “Ken Jennings vs. Mayim Bialik” debate was passionately fought by Jeopardy! fans and contestants for the past couple of years, with executive producer Michael Davies even discussing it in terms of who earned better ratings. None of that tension ever was present between the hosts themselves, which became even more apparent when Jennings was asked about diversifying hosts for future tournaments. The host told USA TODAY that he agreed “100%” with the EP’s stance that “we will fail” if a straight, white man is the only person who can host Jeopardy!. Jennings said:
I love that I get to host Jeopardy! and it's my dream job, but we have seen straight, middle-aged white guys host Jeopardy! for decades. It's kind of been done, and I do feel like some of the criticism that Mayim got was clearly misogynistic. It was people who were not there to see a woman host Jeopardy! and whether they understood that about their soul or not, they were not ready to accept a woman in that position of authority.
Ken Jennings seemingly doesn’t think all of The Big Bang Theory star's detractors were being intentionally misogynistic, but he said some of the critiques could definitely be boiled down to people's issues with having a woman run the show after decades of one of the best game show hosts ever in Alex Trebek.
The role gender played in the Jeopardy! host debate came up a few times during Mayim Bialik’s run. The actress discussed getting feedback on her outfits, which she said her male counterparts didn’t have to deal with. Her tone was another big change, as producers gave Bialik the “great note” to tone down her excitement when a contestant got a clue right, which she said caused her to realize the difference in the way her voice is interpreted as compared to Alex Trebek’s.
That being said, Ken Jennings — one of Jeopardy!’s biggest winners — agreed with Michael Davies’ reasoning for switching to one host, saying consistency is important not just for the contestants but for the home audience as well. Jennings said:
I think he was right. He talked about how Jeopardy! is a symbol of consistency and reliability for a lot of our viewers. It's part of the ritual of their day, and they want to tune in and know what they're going to see and not wonder, ‘Oh, which host do I see tonight?’ And I do understand that. … There's a reason why TV shows don't tend to have two hosts.
Many Jeopardy! fans were happy to see that it was Ken Jennings who won the job, fulfilling what many thought was the move that Alex Trebek had wanted all along. You can tune in to see Jennings do his thing, as the Tournament of Champions has kicked off on the show’s syndicated episodes. Check your local listings to see when the game show plays in your area, and see what other premieres are headed our way with our 2024 TV schedule.
