Ken Jennings back as ‘Jeopardy!’ host: What it means for Mayim Bialik
What is a debunked rumor? Contrary to previous hype, “Jeopardy!” will not be reverting to its revolving door of celebrity guest hosts after the firing of controversial Alex Trebek replacement Mike Richards.
For the remainder of this embattled 2021 season, it will be only Mayim Bialik and record-setting “Jeopardy!” champ Ken Jennings sharing hosting duties, Sony Pictures Television confirmed to The Post.
Beginning Monday, Bialik is helming several weeks of episodes, which will air through Nov. 5. Beyond that point, Jennings and Bialik will split hosting duties as their schedules allow, reps for the show told The Post.
The news is a bit of a 180 from what Richards, 46, announced in his Aug. 20 letter of resignation from the iconic role Trebek vacated when he died at age 80 in November after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
“[Sony Pictures Television] will now resume the search for a permanent syndicated host,” Richards said at the time. “In the meantime, we will be bringing back guest hosts to continue production for the new season, details of which will be announced next week.”
The man who could not fill Trebek’s shoes was relieved of his brief full-time host gig amid ongoing controversy about his problematic history of sexist language and lawsuits. By Aug. 31, Richards was also fired as the show’s executive producer, a behind-the-scenes role he was at first pegged to continue after vacating the host slot before backlash continued to brew.
Meanwhile, Jennings, 47, reportedly blew his first shot at the coveted job after some — go figure, that new industry standard — “dumb old tweets” resurfaced.
The Wall Street Journal reported on the day of Richards’ firing that “Jeopardy!” champ Jennings was set to take over Trebek’s spot — until people went digging into his Twitter history.
Jennings — the show’s second-biggest all-time earner, with $3,370,700 in wins — has since apologized for the “unartful and insensitive” posts — including a tasteless joke that read: “nothing sadder than a hot person in a wheelchair.”
The WSJ further reported that Jennings — who ranks in record books as the contestant with the most consecutive wins — had apparently scored low on the audience’s charisma meter, saying focus groups reportedly “didn’t react well” to the idea of seeing Jennings at the podium following the tweet revelations.
Reps for “Jeopardy!” did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment about the changes. However, show insiders told TMZ no plans are set in stone for the 2022 season — but Bialik appears to remain the frontrunner for the permanent host slot.
The 45-year-old “The Big Bang Theory” and “Call Me Kat” star could hardly contain her excitement upon first revealing that she would be hosting prime-time and spinoff specials of the show.
“What started out with my 15-year-old repeating a rumor from Instagram that I should guest host the show has turned into one of the most exciting and surreal opportunities of my life!” she said in a statement at the time.
Meanwhile, diehard fans will recall Jennings’ touching, tear-jerking tribute to Trebek during a January fill-in appearance: