What ‘Jeopardy!’ host Ken Jennings said about the writers strike

“Jeopardy!” viewers haven’t seen the last of Ken Jennings this season after all.

When Mayim Bialik returned to the screen May 1, the “Jeopardy!” co-host was scheduled to host the quiz show through the remainder of Season 39, the Deseret News previously reported. But in support of the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, “The Big Bang Theory” star decided to step down during the final week of filming, Deadline reported.

Instead, Jennings took over for the final episodes of Season 39, which were filmed in mid-May and will air in July. The clues for the “Jeopardy!” games were written in advance of the season and strike, according to Deadline.

“Our last week of shows was already locked,” Jennings recently told the Deseret News, noting that “Jeopardy!” typically goes on hiatus in May. “We could be above board and just shoot the last week of scripts that had already been written.”

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Although there isn’t an official statement regarding when Jennings’ episodes will air, a Twitter account dedicated to tracking Jennings’ hosting schedule states that fans can see the “Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time” champion return to the hosting lectern as early as July 3.

“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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“Jeopardy!” writers Michele Loud, Jim Rhine and Billy Wisse — who have been with the quiz show for more than 20 years — told Variety that while they are grateful to work with a stable show that has a devoted following, they are concerned about structural changes in the TV industry at large.

“They’re asking some people to work day-to-day,” Rhine said.

“They never tried to make it a gig economy before,” Wisse added. “There was always some sense that writers were partners in it.”

“Our words are on the screen every night,” Loud said. “There is no ‘Jeopardy’ without writers. Without us it’s just an empty blue screen.”

What Ken Jennings has said about the 2023 writers strike

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.

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“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.”

Writers strikes have historically lasted around or over 100 days. A WGA strike in 1988 lasted 153 days, while the 2007 writers guild strike lasted 100 days and went into 2008, the Deseret News reported.