'Jeopardy!' Fans Are Not Happy With This New Hosting Announcement

Some “Jeopardy!” fans really don’t like the way that Johnny Gilbert has been announcing the hosts.

Although this has been an issue for quite a while, Sony’s silence on the controversy is really beginning to divide fans and leaving them wondering who is the real host of “Jeopardy!”.

On September 16, “Jeopardy!” announced that Bialik and Jennings would be splitting hosting duties through the end of 2021:

“Not sure if you’ve heard, but @missmayim and #KenJennings are hosting Jeopardy! until the end of the year. Everyone on the staff is supralunar!”

“Beginning Monday, September 20, Bialik is hosting several weeks of episodes, which will air through November 5. After that, Bialik and Jennings will split hosting duties as their schedules allow through the end of the calendar year.”

On December 8, Sony revealed that Bialik and Jennings will be splitting hosting duties throughout 2022 as well:

“We are delighted to let you know our excellent and experienced team in front of and behind the camera will continue into 2022: @missmayim and #kenjennings will share hosting duties through the end of #Jeopardy! Season 38, and Michael Davies will remain as executive producer.”

That's been the only official announcement on who the next host is. However, some fans noticed that the two hosts have been introduced quite differently.

Fans have started to pick up on the fact that Johnny Gilbert announces each host differently when the episode begins each night. When Jennings takes the stage, Gilbert says, “And now hosting ‘Jeopardy!’, Ken Jennings!” When Bialik takes the stage, Gilbert says, “And now, here is the host of ‘Jeopardy!’, Mayim Bialik!”

This was extremely noticeable during the ‘Jeopardy!’ National College Championship, when Jennings’ episode would end and Bialik’s episode would air directly afterward. Since both have shared hosting duties throughout the year, it’s unclear why Jennings is not also called the host.

Since Sony has not released any official statement, fans have been left to speculate. Some have proposed that since Mayim Bialik was initially hired to be the host of primetime and special tournaments, she is on the “Jeopardy!” payroll as a host. Jennings had initially joined the show as a consulting producer before taking on hosting duties, so it’s possible that producers are trying to evaluate Jennings’ new role if he does become the new host.

Bialik may already be on the payroll as a “Jeopardy!” host, at least part-time, but it’s likely that Jennings will expect a pay raise if he is asked to become the new face of “Jeopardy!” and it's going to get some time to get those details sorted out. Although it's not clear if Bialik will be named the new host full-time, Ken Jennings has received several endorsements to become the new host.

Former “Jeopardy!” champion Amy Schneider said that she wants Ken Jennings, who oversaw her record-breaking run, to become the new host.

Amy’s impressive run ended in January 2022 and left her with the second-longest win streak of 40 games won in a row. However, it still wasn't enough to take down Jennings' 2004 win streak of 74 games, which is starting to seem untouchable.

In an interview with CNN, Amy said that Jennings had put in the work and did “a really great job.”

“Ken Jennings should be the host,” Schneider said. “I really can’t say enough about him.”

“I didn’t necessarily think that before going into this because, yes, he was a great champion, but this is a different skill set,” she continued. “But you could see the work that he put into it, and I just thought he did a really great job.”

“So as far as I’m concerned, that’s my endorsement,” she added.

She’s not the only “Jeopardy!” contestant who is calling for Ken Jennings to become the next permanent “Jeopardy!” host. Amy’s win streak was ended by librarian Rhone Talsma, whose statement neon-yellow glasses earned him praise on Twitter.

In a recent interview with Vulture, Rhone said that he would also love to see Ken Jennings become the next permanent host.

“If I’m able to endorse a host, I one-hundred-percent endorse Ken Jennings,” Talsma said. “His knowledge of the game gives him so much credibility.”

“There’s nobody better suited for the job,” he added.

Without any official word from Sony, fans will just have to wait and see!