Mayim Bialik and former Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings are reportedly set as the hosts for the remainder of the current season of the quiz show. The series was previously hosted by Emmy winner Alex Trebek for over 30 years until his passing in 2020 after a near-two-year-long battle with stage IV pancreatic cancer. The hunt has since been on for a new permanent host of Jeopardy!, though the road has been rough along the way.
Executive producer Mike Richards had previously been chosen as the new permanent host of Jeopardy!, though would ultimately step down from the role after controversial comments made on a deleted podcast resurfaced. Initially remaining on as the series' EP, Richards would later be fired altogether by Sony Pictures Television due to the backlash resulting in further disruptions and internal difficulties on production for the series. Though electing to return to a roster of guest hosts until a permanent host could be found, it appears the studio has landed on a plan for the remainder of the current season of Jeopardy!.
Initially reported by TMZ and later confirmed by Variety, Bialik and Jennings have been set by SPTV as the hosts for the rest of the current Jeopardy! season. The Big Bang Theory alum/neuroscientist will host the first few weeks of episodes with Jennings then swapping in to host the same amount and trading off until the end of the year. Executives behind the series have not made a decision on the next season and are still searching for the full-time host, with Bialik reportedly still standing as the frontrunner for the job.
The decision by SPTV executives to keep Bialik as one of the main hosts for the current season of Jeopardy! does come as a pretty believable one given they already brought her back as a temporary host for the episodes following Richards' departure. The decision to bring back Jennings does come as a surprise, however, given the former champion's removal as the frontrunner for the permanent hosting gig over controversial old tweets resurfacing in the wake of Richards' firing. Jennings may be a household name for fans of the series, especially in comparison to recent guest host and former champion Buzzy Cohen, but given the position would only be temporary, it does raise a point of curiosity as to why the studio would move to bring him back for a few weeks' worth of episodes.
Reports of Bialik being the frontrunner for Jeopardy!'s new full-time host also fall in line with the studio's decision to bring her back for the temporary host gig. However, it was also recently revealed Bialik was unlikely to take over the job due to her work on the Fox sitcom Call Me Kat and family responsibilities. With the proper announcement revealing Bialik and Jennings' dual hosting for the current Jeopardy! season come, it does open the door to the studio taking a similar approach for the full-time gig, possibly even dividing it between Bialik and the fan-favorite LeVar Burton.
Sources: TMZ/Variety
