Inside Jeopardy’s Ken Jennings life off-screen – From childhood in South Korea to Mormon faith
While fans have gotten to know Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings on-screen, we’re taking a closer look at his fascinating personal life from growing up in South Korea to his mormon faith
While many know and love Jeopardy’s Ken Jennings, we’re lifting the lid on his personal life and uncovering some lesser-known facts about the beloved gameshow host’s life off-screen.
Ken has become an on-screen sensation as he has taken over the role of hosting the long-time game show Jeopardy! The 50-year-old began leading the games back in January of 2021 after the heartbreaking death of beloved host Alex Trebek. Since his three years hosting the show, Ken has quickly become a fan favorite. Ken stands out from previous hosts as he has the ability to emphasize with the players after having a 74-game winning streak on the series himself.
And as many have grown fond of Ken for his witty back-and-forth with the players and expertise delivering clues, we’re taking a look at his personal life off-camera. Outside of hosting, Ken has lead a fascinating life from growing up in South Korea, to abiding to the mormon faith, and being a loving husband and father.
Ken’s childhood growing up in South Korea and Singapore
Ken grew up overseas in South Korea and Singapore (Image: Disney)
One of the lesser-known facts about Ken is that he grew up outside of the US and was raised internationally in both South Korea and Singapore. Ken was originally born in 1974 just outside Seattle, Washington but was relocated out of the country in first grade to South Korea as his father needed to move for his job as an international lawyer. During his childhood, Ken’s mother worked as a school teacher and for the Department of Defense in that capacity overseas.
While Ken is an expert in all things American culture now, at the time, his only connection to the US was through television for 15 years. While growing up in South Korea, Ken was an avid watcher and fan of Jeopardy! as he regularly tuned in through the Armed Forces Network. Ken later returned to the United States in adulthood to attend college at the University of Washington in Seattle and Brigham Young University (BYU) in Utah. Ken eventually graduated from BYU in 2000 with a degree in both English and computer science and where he played on the school’s quizbowl team for three and a half years.
Inside Ken’s faith as a life-long mormon
Ken is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Image: Getty Images for Edge at Hudson)
Speaking on his mission, Ken explained: “I had the best time on my mission. It was one of those experiences that’s so dense and intense that you can’t really believe how much happened in such a short time. Even the hard or dull times have acquired a rosy, nostalgic glow in hindsight, just because of how valuable the whole experience was to me.” He added: “What I took home from my mission was an increased love for and testimony of the Book of Mormon. I also find it harder to take the Book of Mormon for granted after watching how quickly it can surprise and change the lives of people.”
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In an interview, Ken recalled the time former Jeopardy! host Alex brought up his Mormon faith on live television. He said: “Alex would ask me if I was going to tithe my winnings, so suddenly you’re talking about tithing on national TV.”
He continued: “I decided that early on the only thing I could do was just be myself. And if there’s some lingering impression that this fairly normal, if not slightly nerdy guy, and yet is Mormon, then I think that’s okay. That was sort of my goal all along — to be just the normal guy who was also Mormon.”
Ken as a loving father and husband
Outside of his gameshow hosting duties, Ken is also a loving father and husband. While attending Brigham Young University, Ken met his now-wife Mindy Boam. After a long romance,, Ken got down on one knee and the pair were engaged by the time they graduated the university back in 2000.
A few months after earning their degrees, the lovebirds tied the knot in September and welcomed their first child Dylan in 2002. In 2006, the pair welcomed their second child Caitlyn. Now the happy family of four all live together in a gorgeous residence in Seattle, Washington that is worth nearly $3 million. And while Mindy has shied away from the spotlight and has not attended any major public events alongside Ken, she has been an encouraging presence all throughout his gameshow career and the first person he would call after finishing up a game.
And while Ken has remained largely private about his relationship with his wife, he has opened up about the constantly changing journey of fatherhood. In 2021, Ken told Yahoo! Life: “It’s eye-opening how your own perception of childhood maybe isn’t that accurate. You need to be ready for your kid to have a new challenge or obsession monthly — or more.”
He continued: “Parenting is always a moving target: you’re really just responding to the current needs of the kid, which might be different [needs] than six months ago. So it’s a lot of listening, because the kid will tell you what you need — but it’s not going to be what you expect and it’s not what you remember you needing at their age.”
