“Jeopardy!” fans are proud of Amy Schneider.
She has a lot of achievements under her belt. After she became the first openly trans champion to qualify for the Tournament of Champions, she claimed the title of the woman with the highest earnings and highest win streak.
She also became the fifth millionaire in the game show’s history, and the fourth to do so by regular gameplay. By the time her win streak ended in January 2022, Amy held the second-highest win streak in the game show’s history with 40 wins. She still lagged behind host Ken Jennings, who set a winning streak of 74 games won in a row back in 2004.
Amy was recently selected as PEOPLE’s Women Changing the World in 2022 edition and revealed that said that she was proud to show off her authentic self.
Amy Schneider Said She Was Only Selected For The Show After She Was ‘Living My Real Identity’
The former engineering manager from Oakland, California, has since quit her job to become a full-time celebrity. She has even signed with CAA and plans to write a book, although what that book will be about has not been divulged just yet.
When she was talking to PEOPLE, Amy revealed that she had spent over a decade auditioning for the show and trying to become a contestant.
“I do think part of the reason I finally did get selected was that I had transitioned, and I was living my real identity,” Amy said. “Looking back, I realized that I was hiding so much of myself. I was a very closed-off person before that.”
After she had been selected, she had made the initial decision to “feminize” her voice. However, she soon decided against it.
“I had a plan to feminize my voice more,” she recalled. “But I thought, ‘If I focus on being myself, I know I’ll feel better, regardless of the reaction.’”
“I’m so glad I didn’t present an idealized version of myself. If I had, it would’ve set a standard like, Oh, well, yeah, everybody likes Amy because she’s … whatever,” she added. “It feels really good to say, ‘No, that was just me.’”
Amy also said that she was happy that her run on the show was able to show the LGBTQ+ community in a positive light. “Somebody said their grandfather was using the right pronouns for a trans person for the first time ever,” she explained. “That made me realize I was making people’s lives better.”
Amy Schneider Has No Time For Twitter Trolls!
I’d like to thank all the people who have taken the time, during this busy holiday season, to reach out and explain to me that, actually, I’m a man. Every single one of you is the first person ever to make that very clever point, which had never once before crossed my mind 🙏
— Amy Schneider (@Jeopardamy) December 31, 2021
Although Amy was proud to serve as a positive role model for the trans community, there were some who insisted that her win as a woman did not count because she was not born a woman.
Amy clapped back against her haters on Twitter, tweeting, “I’d like to thank all the people who have taken the time, during this busy holiday season, to reach out and explain to me that, actually, I’m a man. Every single one of you is the first person ever to make that very clever point, which had never once before crossed my mind 🙏”
She received a plethora of support from fans and former contestants in the comments. “As a pastor I want to apologize for what you’ve had to endure,” one fan wrote. “It is my tradition that owns the sin of homo/transphobia. I’m grateful, tho, for your strength, and for not believing those vicious lies. Thank u for your strength, for standing tall, and inspiring us. Peace to you.”
On Instagram, Amy also shared an inspiring message to her fans, saying that she has become more comfortable wit the way she looks due to her time on the show.
Amy Won A Queerty Award For Her Trans Representation
More news: I’ve been nominated for a Queerty award! It’s a fan vote, so if you’d like me to win, you can vote at https://t.co/SoJypyWGnP once a day until 2/22. I’m up against some serious competition (tbh, I wouldn’t vote for myself from this list lol), but you never know! pic.twitter.com/p6ARBcVkLm
— Amy Schneider (@Jeopardamy) February 8, 2022
In addition to picking up a GLAAD Media Award nomination, Amy also picked up a win for the “Bad—” category at the 2022 Queerty Award. Amy had some steep competition in the against “Spencer” actress Kristen Stewart, “House of Gucci” actress Lady Gaga, “Taxi” actress Queen Latifah, “Dance Moms” star JoJo Siwa, and “Old Town Road” singer Lil Nas X. Also nominated were Leyna Bloom, Bowen Yang, Tom Daley, and Carl Nassib.
Amy Schneider came in first, and Lil Nas X was listed as the follow-up.
Fans are excited to see Amy Schneider return to “Jeopardy!” later this year when she competes against Matt Amodio and the other “Jeopardy!” greats from the season. The hosts and the release date have not yet been announced, but it is likely to take place after this year’s first-ever Second Chance Tournament, where past winners from this season will get a chance to try to win big on the “Jeopardy!” stage for the second time.
