Ken Jennings Says Mayim Bialik Will Be Hosting 'Jeopardy!' 'For A Few Months'

Host Ken Jennings is quickly becoming a fan favorite to take over the position of the next "Jeopardy!" host after the late host Alex Trebek passed away from pancreatic cancer in November 2020.

However, he has been passing hosting duties back and forth between "The Big Bang Theory" alum Mayim Bialik ever since Mike Richards was fired as both host and executive producer last year. Although Ken has been named the favorite to host due to his long history with the game show, it appears that Mayim is going to be taking over the hosting podium for a while.

On Saturday, Ken took to Twitter to praise Mattea Roach and her recent win streak. The 23-year-old tutor for Toronto Canada won 23 games in a row, setting a new fifth-place win streak. Ken tweeted, "Congratulations to Mattea Roach on a truly iconic @Jeopardy streak. I believe she's one of only three champs in history ever to 'shoot their age': 23 years old, 23 wins."

He later added, "I'm handing the keys back to the talented actor-producer-writer-director (!) @missmayim for a few months. We are lucky to have her! Thanks for watching, and I'll be back before the end of the season."

However, many fans were sad to see him go, especially since many former contestants have praised Ken Jenning's run as host and chosen him for the permanent hosting position as well.

In a recent interview, Mattea told Vulture that Ken Jennings was her pick for the next permanent host position.

"I would say Ken because of his history with the show," she said. "As a contestant, there’s something really special about being on stage with the greatest player of all time. Someone who understands in a very visceral way what it’s like to be in your position."

She added that "Mayim is fantastic" but said that "she doesn’t have that same experience."

Former "Jeopardy!" champion Amy Schneider would love for Ken Jennings to become the new permanent 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 was still not a match for the win streak of 74 games that Jennings won back in 2004.

In an interview with CNN's Brian Stelter, Amy said that Jennings had put in the work and did "a really great job."

"Ken Jennings should be the host," Amy 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.

Amy's win streak was ended by librarian Rhone Talsma, whose statement neon-yellow glasses earned him praise on Twitter.

In an 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.

It remains to be seen if Ken Jennings is named the next permanent host of "Jeopardy!". However, the odds are looking good. Earlier this year, Ken revealed that he was stepping out of NBC's "The Chase," giving other beloved "Jeopardy!" champion and one-time Tournament of Champions host Buzzy Cohen a chance to step up to the plate and join Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer as season three's new chasers.