Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik Will Host ‘Jeopardy!’ for the Rest of 2021
THE SEARCH CONTINUES
What is, a stopgap? While Jeopardy! continues to quietly air Mike Richards’ brief and doomed run as host, the show has also announced a longer-term, if still impermanent hosting replacement. Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik, who began recording episodes after Richards’ ouster, will take over as alternating hosts and record enough episodes to see the beloved game show through the end of 2021, Variety reports.
Bialik, whom Sony had already named to host Jeopardy! primetime specials and spinoff programs, will take the first turn and record episodes to air from Sept. 20 through Nov. 5. From there, Variety reports, she and Jennings will alternate “as their schedules allow.” Richards, who quit as host before his first episode aired, was a controversial pick to replace Alex Trebek even before his official announcement; harassment and discrimination lawsuits from his previous tenure on The Price Is Right caused concern, and a damning report from The Ringer sank his chances for good. Jeopardy! alumni, meanwhile, have felt “betrayed” by the entire debacle.