‘Jeopardy!’ hosts: Bialik, Jennings will finish 2021
Ken Jennings appears at the 2020 ABC Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2020, left, and actress Mayim Bialik appears at the 23rd annual Critics' Choice Awards in Santa Monica, Calif., on Jan. 11, 2018. Jennings and Bialik will split “Jeopardy!” hosting duties for the remainder of the game show’s 38th season.[AP Photo]
Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings will split “Jeopardy!” hosting duties for the remainder of 2021.
Sony Pictures Television announced the plan Thursday, the same week that episodes filmed by ousted host Mike Richards are airing.
Richards, who also lost his role as “Jeopardy!” executive producer, was initially tapped as Alex Trebek’s successor but left the show after past misogynistic and disparaging comments surfaced.
Bialik was tapped as interim host, and her episodes will air through Nov. 5. After that, Sony says Jennings and Bialik will share hosting duties based on their schedules through the end of the calendar year. No on-air auditions of other potential hosts were announced.
Jennings, the record-holder for longest “Jeopardy!” winning streak, is a consulting producer on the show. Bialik has already been chosen to host “Jeopardy!” prime-time and spinoff series, including a new college championship.
“Jeopardy!” used a series of guest hosts, including Richards, for shows filmed after Trebek’s death. The beloved host died last November of cancer.