Brian Laundrie's family demands apology after 'Jeopardy!' airs 'distasteful' clue linked to Gabby Petito's murderer
Brian Laundrie's family is demanding an apology from the 'Jeopardy!' game show after a "distasteful" clue on Sunday night's episode of 'Celebrity Jeopardy!' where they addressed the deceased murderer. Laundrie's family expressed their shock at the clue, which referred to their son's suicide in a swampy area full of alligators, where his bones were later discovered to have been scavenged by animals.
"The entire Laundrie family is appalled and concurs with all of the comments on social media on how distasteful this was. I believe an apology is due," the Laundrie family's attorney Steven Bertolino told TMZ. "In 2021, fugitive Brian Laundrie ended his days in Fla's Myakkahatchee Creek area, home to these long & toothy critters," was the clue from Jeopardy's November 13 episode, and the answer was "What are alligators?" The show received harsh criticism from viewers who felt that the clue's nature demeaned Gabby Petito and Laundrie's tragic deaths.
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One viewer wrote, "You use Brian Laundrie, a guy who murdered poor Gabby Petito, as a clue? What in the h**l is wrong with you? Have you no soul? I can't believe this question got past your lawyers," in reference to the ridiculousness of the 'Jeopardy!' questions.
You use Brian Laundrie, a guy who murdered poor Gabby Petito, as a clue?
— Deacon Frost ⚓️🇺🇸 (@Randy7041776) November 14, 2022
What in the hell is wrong with you? Have you no soul? I can't believe this question got past your lawyers.
Another viewer who believed the question to be inappropriate wrote, "That @Jeopardy question mentioning brian laundrie and the answer was alligators?? what the actual h**l that was so... out of line?? not necessary? there was no reason to mention him at ALL!!!!"
that @Jeopardy question mentioning brian laundrie and the answer was alligators?? what the actual hell that was so…out of line?? not necessary? there was no reason to mention him at ALL!!!!
— Nicolette Ashley (@c0nfidentc0ward) November 14, 2022
Mayim Bialik serves as the host of 'Celebrity Jeopardy!' and actors John Michael Higgins, Wil Wheaton, and Joel Kim Booster participated in the show on November 13. The night was won by Wheaton, who is best known for his work on 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'.
In a notebook, Laundrie, 23, admitted to killing his 22-year-old fiancée, Gabby Petito, before ending his life a little over a year ago. Together, they had been driving a van throughout the country. On September 19, 2021, Petito's body was discovered in the Grand Tetons of Wyoming.
One month later on October 20, 2021, the bones of Laundrie were found in Florida's Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park. The Moab Police Department in Utah was sued earlier this month by Petito's parents for its "sloppy" investigation, even though Laundrie allegedly confessed to the murder in a letter before taking his own life.