September 10th marked 41 years since Alex Trebek made his debut on Jeopardy! ABC struggled to find the right person to replace him after his death in 2020. Alex continued to film the show weeks before his death. His last episode aired in 2021. Previous winner Ken Jennings and actress Mayim Bialik were named as co-hosts at first until Ken took over alone.
Ken Jennings is reportedly worried about his job amid all the behind-the-scenes drama at ABC. Keep reading for all the details.
Ken Jennings Distraught, Fears He’s Being Replaced
Jeopardy! fans have mostly accepted Ken Jennings now. He had an incredibly difficult task of replacing a much-beloved game show host. You would think that he’s settled into the role after several seasons under his belt.
The popular game show was on hiatus for a summer break. Season 42 kicked off on September 8. “He came back to the show with a heavy heart because, according to a lot of people, he’s like a dead man walking,” an insider told the National Enquirer about Ken Jennings, 51.
Diehard fans of the show have been critical about his hosting mistakes and lack of charisma that Alex Trebek had in spades.
“He’s trying to keep a stiff upper lip and work on improving his jokes and camaraderie with the contestants and staff. He’s determined to lose some weight so he can look a little better on camera, too,” the source claimed.
Fans aren’t his only concern. There have been rumors for months that Jimmy Kimmel was looking to leave his late-night talk show and replace Ken Jennings on Jeopardy!
But those plans are likely dead after Jimmy Kimmel Live! was unexpectedly yanked from the air until further notice. He made what some deemed as “offensive” remarks about the death of podcaster Charlie Kirk.
Jeopardy! Fans Think The Show Is ‘Too Hard’ Now
The host aside, Jeopardy! fans are struggling to come up with the correct answers when they watch at home. One fan took to social media to ask if the questions were getting harder compared to a few years ago.
Other longtime viewers of the game show agreed that the questions are more difficult. Check out some of the comments in the discussion:
- “I suspect that the explosion of trivia contests all across the country have resulted in a class of competitor that is far more prepared than twenty years ago.”
- “I just thought I was getting stupider”
- “Playing at home, I’d get enough correct on a daily basis that I convinced myself I could make the show someday if I just kept at it.Now? It feels like regular games are near tournament-level difficulty.”
- “The tournaments are always a challenge, but these regular season games have been stumping us as well, unless we get a category we know very well”
- “Watching back the old seasons they put on streaming, it did seem very easy compared to now.”
A handful of “classic” Jeopardy! episodes are available to stream on Peacock and Hulu.
Let us know in the comments if Ken Jennings should be worried about his job as host.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
