‘Jeopardy!’ officially names new hosts — guess who?
What is: an official host?
“Jeopardy!” has finally announced that the game show’s hosts will continue to be Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings.
Executive producer Michael Davies assured viewers in a statement that the show “will not flip flop the hosts constantly,” as the team is aware fans “value consistency.”
The nod to flip-flopping comes after news broke Monday that the pair would be crowned hosts, despite Sony declining to confirm.
“I write today with the exciting news that we have closed and signed deals with Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings to be the hosts of ‘Jeopardy!’ moving forward,” Davies wrote on Wednesday.
“The fact is, we have so much ‘Jeopardy!’ to make, and so many plans for the future, that we always knew we would need multiple hosts for the franchise and we are just so grateful that Mayim and Ken stepped in and stepped up to put the show in a position to succeed,” he continued. “And succeeded it has.”
Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings were announced as the official hosts of “Jeopardy!” Getty Images
Bialik stepped in following Mike Richard’s sudden resignation following allegations of sexism. ABC via Getty Images
Jennings will begin the show’s season in September and host the inaugural Second Chance competition as well as the Tournament of Champions. Meanwhile, Bialik will host “Celebrity Jeopardy!” and take over for Jennings in January, during which she will also host the “Jeopardy!” National College Championship.
“Mayim and Ken are both extraordinarily talented and simply lovely humans,” producer Davies wrote. “They support the staff and each other. They love and respect this institution of a television program. In return, the staff and I are honored to work alongside them.
Davies also detailed an extensive list of initiatives for the revamped “Jeopardy!” show, including hand-picked favorites during the current “repeat season,” daily “Jeopardy!” highlights posted online and an “Inside Jeopardy!” podcast, which will be hosted by Davies and other producers.
“To conclude, I want to congratulate both Mayim and Ken,” he added. They have both been a joy to work with. They have my commitment, my producer oath, that I will focus on nothing but improving the show around them so that they can do their best work and approach every day in the studio with excitement and energy.”
The official announcement comes after years of back and forth following the death of Alex Trebek in 2020, who passed from stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Jennings was previously under fire for “insensitive” tweets, for which he later apologized. ABC via Getty Images
When Jennings and Bialik were first in the running as game show hosts, eagle-eyed fans devoted to the sanctity of the program went digging through the stars’ Twitter profiles. They dug up old tweets by Jennings in particular that were subsequently used against the stand-in host.
After the jokes online resurfaced, Jennings, 48, lamented the posts, calling them “unartful and insensitive.” Following the scandal, focus groups used to pick a new host “didn’t react well” to seeing Jennings.
But it hasn’t been smooth sailing for Bialik, 46, either. Not only were fans displeased at seeing her at the podium — with some saying they’d refuse to watch as long as she was hosting — but she’s made a snafu or two.
Earlier this month, the show host mistakenly claimed a contestant hadn’t earned points when, in fact, they did. Bialik has reportedly done that twice now — hastily saying a player is wrong even as they correct themselves before time runs out — and it’s caused a kerfuffle online.
Both times, producers intervened mid-show to award points to contestants and correct Bialik, who stepped in when Mike Richards resigned following allegations of sexist language last year.
