What Did Ken Jennings Really Think? Uncovering His Off-Camera Reaction to Ryan Seacrest’s 'Wheel of Fortune' Takeover

Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings reacts off camera to rival Ryan Seacrest taking over for Pat Sajak on Wheel of Fortune

JEOPARDY! host Ken Jennings has reacted to rival Ryan Seacrest taking over for Pat Sajak on Wheel of Fortune, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal.

The game show whiz stepped in for the beloved Alex Trebek after his passing in 2021 and last year, Ryan also moved in directly next door as the two shows film side-by-side on the Sony Studios lot.

Ken Jennings has hosted Jeopardy! since 2021Credit: Getty

Ryan Seacrest looks sharp as he hosts Wheel of FortuneCredit: Instagram ryanseacrest
Though Ken, 50, has not commented publicly on what he thinks about Ryan, 50, taking over Pat’s hosting role, a source claimed that he recently revealed his thoughts in between takes on the Jeopardy! set.

“Ken talked about how he was able to go over and see Ryan and Vanna taping Wheel of Fortune recently,” the insider said.

As both shows are syndicated by the same team, they are filmed on side-by-side sound stages at Sony Studios in Culver City, CA.

Both Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! also share many of the same production crew members as they have alternating filming schedules.

The source continued: “Ken said he is rarely on the lot the same time that Wheel of Fortune tapes but was for one of the only times since he started the other day.

“Ken was sincerely blown away by how seamlessly Ryan has not just stepped into Pat’s shoes but made it his own.

“At one point, he even joked that Ryan is a ‘much better’ host than himself. He was very complimentary of Ryan.

“You can tell there is a lot of respect there and it was fun to see them work their magic next door.

Ken Jennings poses with Vanna White, Pat Sajak and his daughter, MaggieCredit: ABC

Pat Sajak, Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White pose on Wheel of Fortune setCredit: Wheel of Fortune
“He was impressed by the show’s production speed and routine – it includes a lot more moving parts to the set as Jeopardy!”

At a previous taping, The U.S. Sun reported that Ken wasn’t losing sleep over Wheel of Fortune beating his show in the ratings as he was even cracking jokes off camera with the live audience.

‘THERE’S NO EGO’

An insider told The U.S. Sun: “After a recent taping, Ken asked the live audience if they enjoyed their time at the show, before asking if any of them wished they’d gone to see Wheel of Fortune instead.

“The crowd erupted in laughter and seemed to appreciate him making fun of the rivalry and not taking it so seriously.”

“Ken is very humble, really kind to everyone on set, and eager to answer questions from guests.

“It seems the role hasn’t gone to his head. There’s no ego about him at all.”

The source also said Ken seems to be settling in well on the re-named Alex Trebek stage and is even using the former host’s hairdresser, Renee Ferruggia.

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.

“Audience members have also asked him which is harder; being a contestant or hosting, and he admitted taking part was much more nerve-wracking than reading out the questions.”

But he may still be getting heat from bosses after WoF took the top spot last month as Ryan’s team is said to be popping champagne over the success.

Jeopardy! brought in more viewers overall last season before Ryan came on board.

SHOW SHUT DOWN

As both Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! are so close and share the same crew, each of the trivia shows were forced to shut down earlier this month due to the travesty of the Los Angeles wildfires.

“Every Wheel and Jeopardy taping has been canceled the week of January 13th. The current tournaments will be delayed and air dates will be delayed.

“There are no new dates set in place yet but everyone is actively doing as much as they can,” the insider said.

Each show employs a large team – with Jeopardy! having around a 40-person production crew that tapes each episode while an additional 75-member-team handles the post-production.

Wheel of Fortune typically employs a total of 100 in-house production personnel, with 60 to 100 local staff joining them for those episodes that are taped on location, according to their website.

Ryan had been actively promoting various donation sites and resource links on his social media pages.

The TV icon – who has called Los Angeles his home for nearly 30 years – had also been active in sharing emergency fire warnings in hopes to spread safety alerts.