After Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik briefly fill in for longtime Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek in 2020, they will be promoted to the permanent positions.
“At the outset of their Jeopardy! run, Mayim and Ken have proven to be two of the best hosts in the business. Those in the hosting profession, whether they’re familiar with Jeopardy! or not, have the opportunity to connect with a wide variety of people through the show “On Wednesday, Michael Davies revealed that he would be taking on the role of showrunner.
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Is Mayim Bialik the New Permanent Host of Jeopardy
According to Davies, weekly viewing numbers have increased to almost 27 million in the past year.
From September until December, Jennings will serve as host, and during that time, he will preside over both the inaugural Second Chance tournament and the Tournament of Champions.
Before its 39th season, which begins taping in early August and returns in September, “Jeopardy!” confirmed on Wednesday that Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik would remain as the show’s permanent presenters.
In November, Jennings will host the Tournament of Champions and the rest of the episodes of the syndicated quiz show through December. In the meanwhile, Bialik will host additional tournaments and the new “Celebrity Jeopardy!” series airing on ABC on Sundays this fall.
We always knew we would need several hosts for the franchise and we are just so pleased that Mayim and Ken stepped in and stepped up to put the show in a position to prosper,” said executive producer Michael Davies in the announcement.
Jeopardy! executive producer Mike Richards was first announced as Trebek’s successor in August of 2021, following a string of guest hosts including Jennings, Bialik, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and LeVar Burton.
After just one day of taping, Richards resigned in the wake of various scandals, including his involvement in many bias cases while serving as executive producer at Wheel of Fortune and his misogynistic and anti-Semitic rants on his podcast The Randumb Show.
The announcement concludes a tumultuous time of change after the death of longtime host Alex Trebek.
On August 31st, when former showrunner Mike Richards was fired from the post due to a number of scandals, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Talking Dead executive producer Davies was brought in as the show’s interim showrunner and executive producer.
In April, Jeopardy! Made Davies’s Position Permanent.
For 2019, Richards will serve as executive producer and showrunner for both Jeopardy!
and Wheel of Fortune. After his appointment as Trebek’s replacement was revealed in August, the press, including THR, reported on the discrimination litigation he had been engaged with as executive producer of The Price Is Right.
The obscene and insulting remarks he allegedly made on a podcast he ran briefly in 2013–14 have also been reported. Richards recorded a week’s worth of Jeopardy! episodes in a single day before announcing his departure. A short time afterwards, Sony removed him as showrunner.
Ms. Bialik will host an episode of “Celebrity Jeopardy!” on ABC during primetime. In January, she will replace Mr. Jennings as the host of the main show, where she will preside over competitions like the college championship.
Mr. Davies reassured the attendees, “We know you value consistency, so we will not flip flop the hosts constantly and will keep you informed about the hosting schedule.”
