The 42nd season of Jeopardy! — one of the best game shows of all time — is well underway on the 2025 TV schedule, and regular watchers may have noticed something a little different happening with Ken Jennings. The host has been looking pretty spiffy this season, causing some fans to wonder if perhaps someone new was putting together his wardrobe. It turns out that’s not the case, but the real reason is even more interesting.
Former co-host Mayim Bialik once remarked that she had to deal with more feedback about her wardrobe than her male counterparts because they wore suits. I would have to respectfully disagree, because as a daily Jeopardy! watcher, I always take note of how Ken Jennings’ suit, shirt and tie coordinate with each other. Apparently I’m not the only one, either, because one Redditor got a pretty good discussion going about the current host’s bolder style this season. They wrote:
My wife and I believe Ken has a new wardrobe consultant this season, and that person is pushing the envelope — almost daily — with more adventurous pairings of shirts and ties. Is this a positive development?
It’s been hard not to notice over the past month or so of new episodes that Ken Jennings is doing a lot of pattern-on-pattern looks, rather than his typical patterned tie over a solid shirt. It turns out it’s not because there was a change in stylist but rather because Jeopardy!’s tie collection has been digitized, theoretically making it easier to see what looks will work.
Ken Jennings himself explained this in an MTV Cribs-style video on Instagram, taking fans on a tour of “where the magic happens,” explaining:
Steven Zimbelman — that was Alex’s old wardrobe guy — he helps me with my ties. We’ve got about 220 here. I personally like a good floral… And a lot of paisley. Steve and I both love paisley, so there’s a lot of these.
I love that Alex Trebek’s costumer is still around, helping one of Jeopardy!’s biggest winners follow in the legendary host’s footsteps. Ken Jennings then explained the upgrade that may have facilitated the snazzier shirt-and-tie combos:
We couldn’t do it without the Tie Bible. We put all the ties in a scanner, so we have reference here of what’s in the mix. So we just have a tie reference work. This is how important the ties are to our work here at Jeopardy!
Ties are so important, in fact, that sometimes they bring out one of Alex Trebek’s game-worn ties to inject a little more of the late host’s legacy onto the stage that is now named after him.
I love seeing Ken Jennings and Steven Zimbelman try out some bolder looks, and I’d say there have definitely been more hits than misses. As fun as it is to play with shirt and tie patterns, I don’t think Jennings will ever get as wild as Steve Harvey’s fashion game over on Family Feud. That would be amazing, though.
Check your local listings to see when Jeopardy! plays in your area, or stream episodes the next day with a Hulu subscription or Peacock subscription.
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