Ken Jennings is feeling nostalgic about his Jeopardy! journey after being formally named one of Alex Trebek’s successors.
Following a swirl of rumors about Jeopardy!’s permanent host earlier this week, the quiz show quickly confirmed that Ken and Mayim Bialik will be returning to the podium for season 39. On July 27, executive producer Michael Davies posted a note about the former Chase star and Big Bang Theory actress coming back to the trivia series as “the hosts of Jeopardy! moving forward.”
Shortly after, Ken took to Twitter to celebrate the exciting news. “It’s official! There is white smoke over Culver City. @missmayim and I are your Jeopardy! hosts next season,” he wrote in a retweet.
He continued: “Jeopardy! has been a big part of my life since I was a kid, and I take the show and its legacy very seriously. It’s been a singular honor to be associated with the talented staff and crew there for the past 18 (!) years.”
“I’m not a professional broadcaster, obviously. I still get nerves out there every single show. But I was lucky enough to watch Alex host Jeopardy! for decades — about as well as the job could possibly be done,” he concluded. “I hope a drop of that Trebekian perfection slips through sometimes.”
As viewers know, Ken first appeared on Jeopardy! in 2004 and historically won 74 games while earning a total of $2.52 million. The then-29-year-old software engineer from Salt Lake City set an extraordinary bar for future Jeopardy! champions. Since then, Ken has appeared in several Jeopardy! special events, including Ultimate Tournament of Champions, IBM Challenge, Battle of the Decades Tournament, All-Star Games and Greatest of All Time. Now, after stepping in as guest co-host for the past year and being a consulting producer behind the scenes, Ken will be called an official host.
Reacting to his heartfelt message, Jeopardy! fans congratulated Ken. “Glad you are back. Looking forward to hearing you introduced as ‘the host of Jeopardy!’” one person wrote on Twitter. “Well deserved. You are a legend and a wonderful ambassador for Jeopardy! In addition, you seem completely at ease on television, and your charm and wit would make Alex proud. I’m so pleased that you will continue to be a part of my favorite show,” another added. “You’re such a natural host, Ken. Seamless and I love all the historical tidbits you throw in. Wonderful sense of [humor] too. Perfect!” a different fan said.
According to Michael, the Jeopardy! team will return to the show’s stage on Monday and begin filming season 39 episodes. Ken will lead the first half of the season from September to December while Mayim hosts the new spinoff Celebrity Jeopardy!. While Mayim hasn’t spoken out about her gig except for a retweet, we’re sure she’s just as delighted about her return to Jeopardy!.
Selena is the associate entertainment and news editor for Good Housekeeping, where she covers the latest on TV, movies and celebrities. In addition to writing and editing entertainment news, she also spotlights the Hispanic and Latinx community through her work. She is a graduate of CUNY Hunter College with a B.A. in journalism and creative writing.
