'Jeopardy!' Contestant's Alleged Hand Symbol Has Viewers Outraged

Jeopardy! fans were blasted by shock on Tuesday night after one of the contestants made waves for [...]

By Stephanie Downs

Jeopardy! fans were blasted by shock on Tuesday night after one of the contestants made waves for all the wrong reasons. Not long after an episode on Tuesday, fans flooded Twitter to speculate about a hand gesture that the returning champion made at the top of the broadcast. As several viewers pointed out, Kelly Donohue placed his hand on his chest and seemed to flash a gesture that some alleged was a white supremacy symbol.

Viewers were clearly confused over Donohue's hand gesture, as he placed his hand on his chest with his thumb and index finger touching and his other fingers outstretched. The Anti-Defamation League notes that this gesture is commonly seen as an "OK" symbol, but took on a different meaning around 2017 when users on 4chan promoted it as a hate symbol that signifies "wp" or "white power." On Twitter, many noted that Donohue flashed a gesture that looks similar to this symbol when he was being introduced on the latest Jeopardy! episode. It should be stressed that it's unclear what the exact intent was behind Donohue's hand gesture, as it could have signified that he has won three games so far on the program.

"The current reigning champion on Jeopardy! flashed the Three Percenter white supremacist sign during his introduction tonight," one individual claimed on Twitter. "Kelly Donohue of Linsfield MA. Suspected he was a MF all week and he just confirmed it. WTF was this allowed to be aired?" While some noted the similarities between the gestures, others wrote that Donohue appeared to simply be signaling how many wins he racked up on the quiz show program.

A "Jeopardy Fan" account wrote that they were of the opinion that Donohue's gesture was indicative of his wins, as he produced similar hand gestures in his prior appearances. In his two other appearances as the reigning champion, he flashed one finger when he first won a game and flashed two when he won his second. As a result, it seems as though it may have simply been Donohue's way of celebrating his wins. The fan account added said that they were reaching out to Jeopardy's publicity team about the matter. Again, amid this speculation, it should be noted that it's unclear what Donohue's exact intent was behind the gesture.

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