REALITY TV
TV
MOVIES
MUSIC
CELEBRITY
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use Accuracy & Fairness Corrections & Clarifications Ethics Code Your Ad Choices
© MEAWW All rights reserved
MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

Ken Jennings called an 'opportunist' for taking over Mayim Bialik's 'Jeopardy!' duties amid writers' strike

Mayim Bialik is said to have quit her hosting gig in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America with just one week of filming left in Season 39
PUBLISHED MAY 26, 2023
Ken Jennings is facing backlash after taking over hosting duties for Mayim Bialik on 'Jeopardy!' (Frazer Harrison & Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
Ken Jennings is facing backlash after taking over hosting duties for Mayim Bialik on 'Jeopardy!' (Frazer Harrison & Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Ken Jennings is facing backlash after taking over hosting duties for Mayim Bialik after the 'Big Bang Theory' star reportedly stepped away from the game show podium. 

Bialik, 47, is said to have quit her hosting gig in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America with just one week of filming left in Season 39. The final episodes were reportedly filmed between May 16 and May 19 at the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, California. Production for the show continued with Jennings stepping in to fill the role before the hit show's summer hiatus. The move, however, did not sit well with some 'Jeopardy!' staffers and was said to have rubbed viewers the wrong way.

RELATED NEWS

'It’s a good variety': Ken Jennings 'thrilled' to share hosting duties with Mayim Bialik on 'Jeopardy!'

'Ken Jennings was quick': ‘Jeopardy!’ fans furious over Mayim Bialik’s 'slow and forced' hosting skills

People 'rooting' for Mayim Bialik

The writers' strike notably brought several high-rating shows to a screeching halt, including 'Saturday Night Live' and 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.' Reports suggest soap operas will soon run out of completed episodes to air.

That said, TV sources have excoriated Jennings as an "opportunist" for crossing the picket line. Speaking to Radar Online, the insider said the former 'Jeopardy!' champ "showed his true colors" as he took home tens of thousands more per episode as host. "It's one thing for a crew member who can't afford to quit to keep coming to work — but he's getting a fat paycheck," the insider said.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 06: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Ken Jennings visits SiriusXM Studios on January 06, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Ken Jennings visits SiriusXM Studios on January 06, 2020, in New York City (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

The insider claimed that a lot of people were "rooting" for Bialik to host the show full time, "especially after she made the brave decision to support the show's writers, even at the expense of her career." According to the tipster, Jennings crossing the picket line "was seen as a grandstand play, even for him."

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 22: Mayim Bialik poses as the Los Angeles LGBT Center hosts The Center Gala at Fairmont Century Plaza on April 22, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Araya Doheny/Getty Images for Los Angeles LGBT Center)
Mayim Bialik poses as the Los Angeles LGBT Center hosts The Center Gala at Fairmont Century Plaza on April 22 in Los Angeles, California (Photo by Araya Doheny/Getty Images for Los Angeles LGBT Center)

'This show is so hard to host'

Jennings co-hosted the show with Bialik after the tragic death of longtime host Alex Trebek in 2021. The iconic host died at 80 after a long battle with cancer and a long run on the show, which he always cherished. "I love spending time with bright people ... and Jeopardy! puts me in touch with bright folks all the time," Trebek told NPR in 2016.

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 21: Alex Trebek speaks during a rehearsal before a taping of Jeopardy! Power Players Week at DAR Constitution Hall on April 21, 2012 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images)
Alex Trebek speaks during a rehearsal before a taping of Jeopardy! Power Players Week at DAR Constitution Hall on April 21, 2012, in Washington, DC (Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images)

Executive producer Michael Davies has since urged fans to be patient with both Bialik and Jennings. “When Ken is hosting and Mayim is hosting, there’s zero difference [in ratings],” he told Vulture in an interview in May. He said there was “an incredible fracture at the heart of Jeopardy” when he first arrived, noting Trebek's demise, and that there was a lot of rebuilding to do after he left.

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 24: Michael Davies and crew from Jeopardy accept the award for Outstanding Game Show onstage during the 49th Daytime Emmy Awards at Pasadena Convention Center on June 24, 2022 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Michael Davies and crew from 'Jeopardy' accept the award for Outstanding Game Show onstage during the 49th Daytime Emmy Awards at Pasadena Convention Center on June 24, 2022, in Pasadena, California (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

“This show is so hard to host," Davies explained. "I wish many of our fans were more patient in understanding that we’re dealing with two hosts. Mayim is a very experienced actress. Ken is a very experienced Jeopardy! player. They’re both at the beginning of their hosting careers. I back them both," he added.

RELATED TOPICS MAYIM BIALIK JEOPARDY!
POPULAR ON MEAWW
MORE ON MEAWW