Jeopardy! fans slam ‘sexist and rude’ clue as Ken Jennings forced to apologize for ‘problematic’ remark on camera

JEOPARDY! fans have slammed the show for using a “sexist and rude’ clue.

In Monday night’s episode of the show, host Ken Jennings, 50, was forced to apologize for a “problematic” remark on camera.

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Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings was forced to apologise on the show last nightCredit: ABC

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It came after a clue during the Complete The Rhyming Phrase roundCredit: ABC

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The clue was about women who were glasses and was said in front of contestant HeatherCredit: ABC
Last night’s contestants were returning champ Will Wallace, Heather Ryan, and Ian Taylor.

But as the game got underway, one clue during the Jeopardy! round, Complete The Rhyming Phrase, caused a stir.

Ken read out the clue which was: “Men seldom make passes at…”

To which Will correctly answered: “Girls who wear glasses?”

Ken quickly recognized this may have made contestant Heather uncomfortable since she wore glasses on the show, and the host quickly said: “A little problematic, sorry, Heather.”

The out of touch saying was coined by poet Dorothy Parker in the 1920s.

Fans were not happy that this phrase had been included on the show.

One fan wrote: @lndsyloves It made me really angry. She went through the whole process of getting on Jeopardy, what should have been an amazing experience will now be remembered for this.

“Such a completely unnecessary question, there are millions of rhyming phrases, and they knew she would be a contestant

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While another tweeted: “Still angry about this.

“She’s used her intelligence to get on here, only to be insulted by a sexist and rude comment.”

“Frankly, I don’t need to hear Ken read an obviously outdated and inappropriate clue and then call it ‘problematic,’” argued a third.

“Maybe he can use his position to get it switched out before it goes out over the air.”

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Mayim Bialik was originally brought in to co-host Jeopardy!Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Meanwhile, Ken joined Jeopardy! in 2022, and originally co-hosted with Mayim Bialik.

They were brought into succeed the late Alex Trebek after he passed from pancreatic cancer.

Ken stepped in to split hosting duties with Mayim.

However, last year the actress announced she had been let go from the series, and the former champion was named sole host.

Mayim initially walked out during the last two weeks of Season 39 in May 2023, citing solidarity with the WGA strike.

But when the strike was resolved, she didn’t return.

Then in December 2023, Mayim nearly broke the Internet when she announced that she had personally been fired from Jeopardy!

“As the Holiday break begins in Hollywood, I have some Jeopardy! news,” she began her Instagram post.

“Sony has informed me that I will no longer be hosting the syndicated version of Jeopardy!”

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Former contestant Ken Jennings is the sole host of the original show and Season 41 premieres on September 9Credit: Getty
Jeopardy! released an Instagram statement an hour later, and it has since been reported that Mayim broke the news without consulting the show first.

In their statement, the show expressed that they “hope” to work with Mayim on specials and spinoffs in the future.

That said, the actress has never mentioned the franchise on social media since – or vice versa.

After her dismissal, showrunner Michael Davies stated, “Viewers wanted more consistency. They wanted a single host.”

Ken – who holds the record of 74 straight wins in 2004 – later said he understood the decision as shows “don’t have two hosts.”
Jeopardy! Host Timeline

Jeopardy! has had a tumultuous history regarding hosts after the death of the iconic Alex Trebek in 2020. Here are all of the hosts since the game show’s inception in 1964.

Art Fleming – 1964 to 1975, he was the original host of the daytime version of Jeopardy! on NBC.

Alex Trebek – 1984 to 2020, the late, great Alex hosted Jeopardy!’s modern iteration for 36 years until his death from pancreatic cancer.

Guest hosts – 2020 to 2021, Jeopardy! tested out a series of guest hosts for week or two-week stints, including Anderson Cooper, LaVar Burton, and Aaron Rodgers.

Mike Richards – 2021, he was named host for one week before resigning amid controversy. He was the show’s executive producer at the time.

Mayim Bialik – 2021 to 2023, when Mike was announced as the show’s new host, Mayim was chosen to host tournaments and primetime specials.

Mayim and Ken Jennings – 2022 to 2023, 74-time champion Ken (the longest-winning contestant ever) joined Mayim as a guest host and they split hosting duties.

Ken Jennings – 2023 to present. Last December, Mayim announced on Instagram that she would “no longer” host Jeopardy! after a lengthy hiatus, having stood with the writer’s strike, and Ken was named sole host.

Ken now helms all editions of Jeopardy! including Celebrity Jeopardy!, the nightly show, and other primetime specials like Masters.