Ken Jennings Addresses Mayim Bialik's Jeopardy! Exit

Says he was caught 'off guard' by Sony's decision
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 26, 2023 1:50 PM CST
Ken Jennings Didn't See Mayim Bialik's Exit Coming
Mayim Bialik arrives at the Los Angeles LGBT Center Gala on Saturday, April 22, 2023, at the Fairmont Century Plaza.   (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

Mayim Bialik caught Jeopardy! viewers off guard when she announced midmonth that Sony had informed her she would no longer co-host the show. Ken Jennings, whom she shared the job with, will take on the new season solo, and he talks about the change in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter. He said the news "took me off guard, because I loved working with my Mayim and I'm gonna miss her. I can't speak to her decision-making process or her opinions about it."

NBC News reports it was Jennings' first public comments on the change, which Sony said was made to "maintain continuity for our viewers." As for how long Jennings would like to hold on to the reins, "hopefully I look forward to 37 more years of doing it, when I'll be a very, very old man," the 49-year-old says. That number is a reference to how long Alex Trebek managed to host the show—almost 38 years. (Read the full interview, which delves into Celebrity Jeopardy!, here.)

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