Jeopardy! fans know that Ken Jennings has been the host for quite a long time. Initially, he was the contestant who later became the show host and has now become one of the widely famous American game show hosts.
Despite Jeopardy! being one of the globally known shows, there are a few other similar trivia shows, such as The Wheel of Fortune. It has also been gaining quite the popularity over the years. So, viewers have constantly been comparing which show is more popular than the other.
Game show enthusiasts might know how Ryan Seacrest replaced long-time The Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak. Since then, the show has been even more popular. Seeing the ratings from the game show Closer Weekly, in their October 10, 2024 article, mentioned the possibility of Ken Jennings being replaced on Jeopardy!
They mentioned things that do not look good for Ken without revealing the source. Take a look at what might be happening in the near future with Jeopardy!
"Ryan's looking like the game-show golden boy right now, despite a bumpy first week, and all Ken can do is hope for a miracle to turn the tide in his favor," source mentioned.
Is Ken Jennings from Jeopardy! being replaced? Speculation explored
Recently, Closer Weekly reported about a possible replacement of the iconic game show Jeopardy!'s host, Ken Jennings. While there is no confirmed news as of right now, they revealed speculations about the same. As the "unnamed" source mentioned, Ken can "hope" for a "miracle."
For the fans who don't know, The Wheel of Fortune recently updated the game show. Among many changes that the makers initiated, one was to replace the host, and they now feature Ryan Seacrest.
Surprisingly, since the 49-year-old star took over, the game show became the No.1 show in syndication with the debut week's 8.31 million average views. For The Wheel of Fortune's first week, there were 4.88 household ratings, meaning it earned the "longest-running program" achievement.
Talking about Jeopardy!, there have been some inconsistencies with the show format and the clues/ questions. Fans have been discussing various inconsistent answers, which might or might not be correct, per the show's format. Moreover, a few of the rulings have also not been well received by the viewers.
The source further revealed,
"Surely, it's just a matter of time [until] when Ken gets the boot. Ken doesn't have any stability or a long-term contract, so the higher-ups could fire him at any time. Bosses over at Jeopardy! must be panicking by now, and word is they're brainstorming names to replace Ken."
The source also seems to be sharing more crucial info, as Closer Weekly mentioned about Ken's "inflated ego," which might also be one of the issues. He has also been accused of favoring his "favorite" players on the show.
Since not getting comparatively higher ratings and inconsistencies, the iconic game show had already been under pressure. On top of that, the speculations further mention,
"It doesn't look good for Ken, who's already under so much pressure."
One of the most common things that happen during such situations would be a replacement host. Like The Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy! might also be looking to replace Ken Jennings and find someone more suitable with no such allegations regarding "favors" or anything.
Additionally, viewers might already be aware of the Jeopardy! host being slammed for his "unfunny" and "awkward" behavior now and then, as stated by another source back in August 2024 in Closer Weekly.
The insider source added,
"How to be genuinely funny is one of the things that hinders him. People on the show know it, (and) Ken knows it deep down. He's an awkward character and can't make people laugh, unlike his contemporaries, Steve Harvey and Drew Carey, and it bothers him. His delivery and timing have got to be improved if he's to win over audiences."
Fans must remember how Ken Jennings became part of the game show and eventually started out as the host. It was after the previous host, Alex Trebek's demise in November 2020. Later, the game show featured Ken Jennings as the co-host, along with Mayim Bialik.
However, later, when Mayim left the show from the game show's 40th season, Ken was the sole host of such an iconic game show.
To keep up with all the latest updates, fans can follow Jeopardy!'s official social media platforms (Instagram: @jeopardy).