SNL Alum Responds To Rumors He’s Taking Over As Host Of ‘Jeopardy!’
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Colin Jost recently addressed claims that he was looking to replace Ken Jennings as the host of Jeopardy!
Jost, 42, discussed the reports that he was vying for the job of host of the beloved game show in an interview with The Ringer published on Tuesday, December 3. When asked about the rumors, he said, “I promise I am in no way trying to steal his job. He’s very good at his job. I also have a job.”
The speculation that the former Saturday Night Live cast member wanted to replace Jennings started in May after Prime Video and Sony Pictures Television announced that Jost would host Pop Culture Jeopardy!, a spin-off of the game show.
Later in the interview, Jost revealed that he and Jennings texted while he was working on the spin-off.
“He was just supportive,” Jost told the outlet, before admitting, “What he was saying is true — there’s almost no one that knows what it’s like to host the game. You know, all the crazy specific things you have to do in every game and keep track of, in addition to what just seems like normal hosting stuff.” He added, “The gameplay of it is so specific and fast and precise that it’s just an experience that almost no one gets to have.”
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Jost also confessed that Jennings was his all-time favorite contestant on the show.
“He was the first person I saw go on that kind of crazy run, at whatever age I was when that happened, and it was really just so exciting to watch,” he shared with the outlet. The spin-off host later added, “I think that’s part of why he’s such a great host to me—he has that credibility that you know he probably knows everything.”
The upcoming show is “a brand-new twist on the classic quiz show’s ‘answer-and-question’ format that combines the academic rigor of Jeopardy! with the excitement and unpredictability of pop culture,” according to the game show’s official website.
