Behind-the-scenes details concerning the latest “Jeopardy!” hosting change are being revealed by an executive producer.
Showrunner for “Jeopardy!” Michael Davies discussed the decision to fire Mayim Bialik and replace her with Ken Jennings at the “Unscripted Storytellers” event at the 2024 Television Critics Association’s winter press tour.
Davies stated, “When I took over the show, we were really forced into that situation from everything that happened before, the guest hosting period,” according to a People story. “Mayim was left hosting the primetime versions; I brought in Ken to guest-host once Mayim had her schedule on her FOX sitcom [‘Call Me Kat’].”
He went on to say that the choice was made with the game show’s overall “consistency” in mind.
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“Over the past two-and-a-half seasons, what we’ve heard from a lot of television stations and other interested parties is that they wanted more consistency,” Davies stated on the panel. “They wanted a single host.”
Davies left open the possibility of Bialik returning in the future.
He declared, “Mayim is an excellent host.” “We hope to keep working with her on primetime versions and other spinoffs.”
He continued, “Those conversations are ongoing – but Ken really won the job.”
