PORK PROBLEM

‘Jeopardy!’ Apologizes After Clue Starts AI-Generated Conversation

Ken Jennings has issued a rare apology for not using “the best wording” in a clue.

Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings apologized after the wording of a clue about John Pork outraged fans online. The issue stemmed from a clue in the “Daddy is there really a...” category of the show’s Oct. 24 episode. During the episode, Jennings read the clue: “No: AI generated the TikTok image of this pig/human eventually killed by Tim cheese.” After reading the clue, Jennings said even he, who had won 74 consecutive games of Jeopardy! before becoming the show’s host, “didn’t understand any of that. Who is John Pork?” John Pork is a viral meme of a digitally created pig’s head on a man’s body that gained fame on social media platforms like TikTok, where a joke spread amongst fans that Pork had died. Fans, however, took offense to the clue’s description of Pork as being “AI-generated,” claiming he “predates AI.” Since the outrage, Jennings apologized in a TikTok video. “Now, even though AI is used heavily in many of his TikToks, it’s possible that wasn’t the best wording to refer to his original appearances,” Jennings said. “John, I hope he’ll forgive me and all of us at Jeopardy! for any insult we may have committed against you or your memory.”