Ken Jennings to replace Mayim Bialik as Celebrity Jeopardy host
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When Hollywood stars hit the podium for Celebrity Jeopardy, a new host will test their trivia knowledge.
Ken Jennings is set to take over hosting duties for the star-studded spin-off, replacing season 1's Mayim Bialik, a representative for the show confirmed to EW. Though the Jeopardy co-hosts split duties on the main series, Bialik was the sole host of the celebrity-centered edition. A rep for Bialik didn't immediately respond to EW's request for comment.
Courtesy Jeopardy Productions, Inc.; Casey Durkin/ABC via Getty Images Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik on 'Jeopardy'
As EW reported in May, Bialik is declining her hosting duties to stand in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America. She is also a member of the actors' union, SAG-AFTRA, which went on a strike of its own in July.
The ABC trivia series had one week of filming left for season 39 when Bialik first stepped back, and is now set to enter its 40th season in September. Celebrity Jeopardy is also slated for a September return. As for Jeopardy Masters, a spring 2024 return date is expected.
Earlier in the month, Jennings resisted backlash to his decision to continue hosting the series throughout the strike. When one social media user criticized him for "trying to cross picket lines," arguing that legendary Jeopardy host Alex Trebek would "NEVER," Jennings used a screenshot to remind them that Trebek continued hosting during the comparable 2007-2008 writer's strike.
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) August 13, 2023
On an episode of the behind-the-scenes Inside Jeopardy! podcast, showrunner Michael Davis unveiled plans for the fall 2023 seasons that addressed how the strike has impacted the show.
While Celebrity Jeopardy will return with completely original material that Davies said was completed before writers went on strike, Jeopardy season 40 will move forward with "a combination of material that our WGA writers wrote before the strike, which is still in the database, and material that has been re-deployed from multiple seasons of the show." The series will also recycle contestants from prior seasons.
So far, there's no word on who will appear as contestants on the second season of Celebrity Jeopardy. The season 1 lineup included Simu Liu, Constance Wu, Iliza Shlesinger, Ray Romano, Patton Oswalt, Michael Cera, B.J. Novak, and more as guest players
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