Since Ken Jennings stepped on the Jeopardy! stage back in 2004, fans of the quiz show have come to know a bit about the former contestant. But in his nearly two decades on the trivia series, folks have only caught glimpses of Ken’s private life with his wife, Mindy Jennings, and their two children, Dylan and Caitlin.
Before he became a Jeopardy! legend, Ken was figuring out what he wanted to do with his life. Though he had a lifetime passion for trivia, he decided to pursue a double major in English and computer science. While at Brigham Young University, the Jeopardy! host crossed paths with a theater major named Mindy Boam.
According to The Week, Ken declared to Mindy’s roommate that he was going to ask her out. Nine months later he did just that and by the time of their graduation in 2000, Ken and Mindy were engaged.
Later that fall, the two became husband and wife on September 16, 2000. As newlyweds and college graduates, Ken went into the world of engineering and Mindy became a preschool teacher. Two years later, they welcomed their first child, a son named Dylan.
Fast forward to 2004, Ken was a software engineer for a healthcare staffing company when he got the call from Jeopardy! that he would be appearing on the show.
Throughout his historic 74-game run, Ken celebrated his wins with Mindy. Speaking with Vulture, Ken revealed that he has always had her support, including when he made the trip from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles to audition in 2003. He told the site that he and a friend had talked about appearing on the show since college.
“My wife was all right with it,” he told the outlet. “We had been married for about four years at that point, my son had just been born, and we had recently moved into our starter home.”
After accomplishing his goal of winning one game, Ken quickly got into a rhythm of being declared the Jeopardy! champion. Despite signing an NDA, he clued in his wife about how he was doing. “She was always my first call when I got back to the Sony parking garage," he told Vulture. “But none of my friends, family, or co-workers knew why I was sneaking away a few times a month.”
According to Mindy, Ken was drawn to the small screen because he "wanted people to know he was funny." She continued to tell The Week, "He's not the type of person who wants you to know he knows everything."
Following his six-month Jeopardy! run, the couple expanded their family again with the addition of their daughter Caitlin in 2006. While Ken doesn’t share photos of his loved ones often on his social media, he has posted a few of his son. Most recently, he captured a moment with his now-19-year-old at a Seattle Mariners baseball game.
In an interview with Yahoo! Life, Ken revealed how he makes time for himself, his kids and his wife. “When you work from home, you have to be intentional about creating a schedule,” he told the site. “I’ll say these are the office hours, these are the home hours — even though the office is 10 feet away— [and I’ll] make sure there's a schedule for Mom and Dad to be alone too.”
