Amid strikes, ‘Celebrity Jeopardy!’ gets a hosting change-up

When “Jeopardy!” made its official host announcement last year, the show was clear that viewers would see a lot of both Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings. They would take turns hosting the regular show, in addition to hosting special tournaments — Jennings, the Tournament of Champions; and Bialik, “Celebrity Jeopardy!”

But when “Celebrity Jeopardy!” makes its season premiere Sept. 27 on ABC, it’ll be Jennings standing behind the hosting lectern.

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Why is Ken Jennings hosting ‘Celebrity Jeopardy!’?

Bialik, known for her roles in sitcoms like “The Big Bang Theory” and “Call Me Kat,” is continuing to sit out as host amid the ongoing writers and actors strikes.

The actress initially opted to step down from hosting during the final week of filming the regular “Jeopardy!” season, the Deseret News previously reported. Jennings took over and filmed the final 20 episodes of the season, according to The Jeopardy Fan website.

The clues for those “Jeopardy!” games were written in advance of the season and writers strike, according to Deadline.

“Our last week of shows was already locked,” Jennings previously told the Deseret News. “We could be above board and just shoot the last week of scripts that had already been written.”

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What Ken Jennings has said about the writers strike

“Jeopardy!” was one of the first game shows affected by the writers strike, Deadline reported.

The strike — representing more than 11,000 writers in the entertainment industry — began on May 2 and is seeking higher pay and job security amid the rise of artificial intelligence.

“The unions are demanding pay increases, as well as minimums on the number of writers on a show and minimums for the number of weeks writers are employed per contract, and have also expressed concerns that writers could be replaced by artificial intelligence,” Forbes reported.

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In a recent interview with the Deseret News, Jennings praised the “Jeopardy!” writers, who he said work diligently to make sure the many clues they write — there are 61 clues per game — are foolproof.

“You would not believe the work our amazing writers do, and they’re Emmy Award winning,” Jennings said. “We cannot wait for the strike to be resolved so we can get our writers back. We’re just hoping the writers get the fair deal they deserve (and) we can get back in time to the fall.”

Jennings has faced some criticism for continuing to host amid the strikes.

“You’re a disgrace if you’re trying to cross picket lines,” one user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote of Jennings. “Alex (Trebek) would NEVER do anything of the sort. He would turn over his grave seeing you act like that.”

The “Jeopardy!” Greatest of All Time champion responded with the an official statement from “Jeopardy!” about carrying on during the strikes.

“‘Jeopardy!’ has a long history with and tremendous respect for the WGA and our writers,” Sony Pictures Television said in a statement, per USA Today. “We have always been careful to honor our WGA agreements and we would never air game material not created by WGA writers. However, just as we did, led by Alex Trebek, during the 2007-2008 strike, we will deliver first-run episodes again this fall.”

How ‘Celebrity Jeopardy!’ is happening during the strikes

Clues for this upcoming season of “Celebrity Jeopardy!” were written before the strike, USA Today reported.

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“Although many celebrities are SAG members, their work on the show is covered by a separate labor agreement and not subject to the strike,” per USA Today.

Contestants for the new season have not yet been announced. “The Mindy Project” star Ike Barinholtz won this past season, with comedian Patton Oswalt and actor Wil Wheaton placing second and third, respectively, per “Jeopardy!”