Ken Jennings Gets Candid About Making Changes to ‘Jeopardy!’

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Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings is dedicated to keeping traditions alive and well, noting that the long-running game show has a “tradition-observant [and] change-resistant audience.”

Speaking to People on the red carpet of the TCM Classic Film Festival on Thursday (April 24), Jennings opened up about taking the reins of the show following the death of his predecessor, the late Alex Trebek, who hosted the show for 37 seasons.

“It was very tricky after Alex passed because, of course, we all missed him,” Jennings told the outlet. “No one had seen anybody else host Jeopardy for nearly 40 years. It was a tricky adjustment, and I didn’t want to be there.”

“I wanted Alex, like he was my guy, but luckily I had seen him host enough that I kind of had this internal sense of what would he do here, and that’s really the only thing that got me through,” he continued. “And a few years on, I’ve gotten enough reps that I feel a little more comfortable out there.”

Jennings officially took over hosting duties in 2022 following the passing of Trebek, who died on November 8, 2020, from pancreatic cancer. Initially, Jennings split hosting duties with Mayim Bialik; he later became the sole permanent host after Bialik was let go in December 2023.

When asked if he’s ever considered changing things up as host, Jennings said the show has “a very tight format” he doesn’t want to mess with, adding that Jeopardy! has a “tradition-observant audience, a change-resistant audience.”

“So I don’t think anybody suddenly wants to… What would it even be? A catchphrase? ‘Jennings out!’?” he quipped. “I think Ryan [Seacrest]‘s doing Wheel [of Fortune] now, so there’s unlikely to be big changes on my watch. I’m a fan first and foremost. I want to see the Jeopardy I grew up on.”

Jennings was on hand for the TCM Classic Film Festival’s opening night, which saw a Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back screening. The Jeopardy! G.O.A.T. revealed that Trebek often had the TCM channel on backstage.

When asked if he enjoys old-school movies, Jennings said, “Absolutely. From my childhood on, and it’s part of our Jeopardy! tradition because Alex always had TCM on in the dressing room, and that’s something I’m gladly keeping going.”

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