Jeopardy has gone through some serious ups and downs when it comes to the hosting position following the death of Alex Trebek, and Big Bang Theory alum Mayim Bialik has been splitting Season 38 hosting duties with the game show’s GOAT Ken Jennings. With the finale approaching, fans are still awaiting confirmation of who will host Season 39. Now, with reports regarding the negotiations for the fall, there’s a question to ponder: will fans see less of Mayim Bialik?
Executive producer Michael Davies hinted back in June that announcement could be coming “very, very soon,” but there has since been no confirmation about who will be the full-time host of Season 39. Deadline now reports that both Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings are in negotiations to return for the new season and continue sharing the hosting job. Although Sony Pictures TV has not yet commented, negotiations for Mayim Bialik have had to account for her schedule in light of her starring role in Fox’s Call Me Kat.
The Fox comedy was renewed for Season 3 back in May, which means that her schedule is likely already pretty busy when it comes to TV. In February, however, Fox Entertainment President Michael Thorn shared that the network is “very supportive” of Bialik pulling double duty with Call Me Kat and Jeopardy, and they’ve “really tried to work with her and her team and Sony [which produces Jeopardy!] to try and make it work.”
Fox is happy to support the actress as Jeopardy as long as it doesn’t stop Call Me Kat from being the best that it can be. If it worked in her first season as one of the hosts, then the odds seem good that she'll be back as much as ever, even though that has not yet been made official at this point.
Fans have debated whether Bialik or Jennings should be named as the solo full-time host after the end of Season 38, coming up with theories based on everything from the phrasing of announcements for each of them to Jennings seemingly clearing his schedule. Former Jeopardy Champ Mattea Roach (who became the most successful Canadian contestant in show history back in April) threw her support behind Jennings due to all of his experience, while some are undoubtedly still disappointed that LeVar Burton didn’t get the job. (Burton has opened up about the “very public defeat” in not becoming the new host.)
It does seem safe to say that former – and very temporary – host Mike Richards was never a contender for the hosting gig in Season 39. Richards was initially announced as the new regular host following Alex Trebek’s death and a cycle of guest judges, but was almost immediately fired as scandals piled up, ultimately leading to Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings sharing the job in Season 38.
All signs currently point toward Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings continuing to split hosting duties when Jeopardy returns in the fall; what’s not clear at this point is whether or not Bialik will be able to appear as much as she has so far, with Call Me Kat picking production back up. Season 39 will premiere on September 12, while Call Me Kat will return for Season 3 on Thursday, September 29 at 9:30 p.m. ET on Fox. To plan ahead for the fall TV season, be sure to check out our 2022 TV premiere schedule.
