Ken Jennings makes emotional debut as guest host of ‘Jeopardy!’: ‘I miss Alex very much’

Ken Jennings is not only the greatest “Jeopardy!” champion of all time he was also one of Alex Trebek’s favorite contestants. So it made sense that he was named guest host after Trebek’s death in November. During his debut, Monday, he delivered a touching tribute to the former host.

“Sharing this stage with Alex Trebek was one of the greatest honors of my life,” said Jennings. “Not many things in life are perfect, but Alex did this job pretty much perfectly for more than 36 years, and it was even better up close. We were dazzled by his intelligence, charm and grace.”

“Like all Jeopardy! fans, I miss Alex very much and I thank him for everything he did for all of us,” he continued. “Let’s be totally clear: No one will ever replace the great Alex Trebek. But we can honor him by playing the game he loved.”

After the touching tribute, Jenning did a great job as host. He was personable and light hearted. Several fans, including a few surprised ones, took to Twitter to commend him on his performance.

Video Transcript

KEN JENNINGS: Sharing this stage with Alex Trebek was one of the greatest honors of my life. Not many things in life are perfect, but Alex did this job pretty much perfectly for more than 36 years. And it was even better up close.

- Ken Jennings is not only the greatest "Jeopardy" champion of all time, he was also one of Alex Trebek's favorite contestants. So it made sense that he was named guest host after Alex's death in November. And on Monday, he made his debut with a touching tribute.

KEN JENNINGS: Like all "Jeopardy" fans, I miss Alex very much. And I thank him for everything he did for all of us. Let's be totally clear. No one will ever replace the great Alex Trebek. But we can honor him by playing the game he loved.

- Fans thought Ken did a great job in his debut, like this viewer who tweeted, Ken Jennings did an amazing job as host of #Jeopardy, paying homage to the great Alex Trebek and echoing that he would want nothing more than the game that he loved to continue.

Ken's performance also surprised some viewers, like this person who tweeted, I was firmly anti Ken Jennings as host. But a very good debut has changed my mind. Under pressure too. Nice.

And while Alex will always be known as the host of "Jeopardy," Ken did a great job trying to fill his shoes.

KEN JENNINGS: [INAUDIBLE] you are our new "Jeopardy" champion. Which means you'll be joining us tomorrow. And I hope you join us as well. Thank you, Alex.