‘Jeopardy!’ Announces Schedule of Next Slate of Guest Hosts After Aaron Rodgers

Jeopardy! has announced the schedule for the game show’s next slate of celebrity guest hosts as the series works to establish a permanent hosting plan following the death of beloved host Alex Trebek in November. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been serving as the latest celebrity to take to the podium and will be followed up by CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who will host episodes airing April 19 to 30.

Bill Whitaker, the legendary 60 Minutes correspondent, will take over from May 3 to 14, and will be followed by Call Me Kat star Mayim Bialik from May 31 to June 11. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, and TODAY co-host Savannah Guthrie are both also slated to host down the line, but their dates have yet to be announced.

The first person to take Trebek’s place as host in January was Greatest of All Time champion Ken Jennings, followed by Jeopardy! executive producer Mike Richards and legendary journalist Katie Couric. Dr. Mehmet Oz of The Dr. Oz Show hosted ahead of Rodgers, but his run was mired in controversy, as 500 past contestants of the show signed an open letter chastising producers for casting a doctor who has. a history of “promoting supplements that do nothing, legitimizing gay conversion therapy…dangerous ‘cures’ for autism, and, most recently, the use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19.”

Rodgers’ stint as host has gone much more smoothly, with Richards telling NBC Sports, “What I find fascinating about Aaron is his second career could be better than his first.” He continued of filming with the athlete, “At the end of the three days Aaron was exhausted. But he was so complimentary to everyone in the studio and on the team. We were his offensive linemen for those three days. He treated us all so well. He hated to go, and we hated to see him go.”

Rodgers has been similarly complimentary, saying on Good Morning Football last week, “I think I bring something different to the show. I was the youngest guest host. There’s a different audience that maybe I could bring along with it; hopefully, the numbers show it the next two weeks.” A longtime fan of the show, Rodgers said there was a “ton of respect” he brought to the role.

“I have a ton of respect for the show. The way that Alex had a smooth hand on the show for three-and-a-half decades is something that can’t be understated, and I think he held the show in such a high esteem that it made everybody really respect and admire him and the show,” he said.