'Jeopardy!' Fans Weigh in on Ken Jennings Being the New Host Frontrunner

While Mike Richards was recently named as the official replacement for the late Alex Trebek on [...]

By Stephanie Downs

While Mike Richards was recently named as the official replacement for the late Alex Trebek on Jeopardy, he has since stepped down from the position amid scandal. Now, there's a new frontrunner for the position — Jeopardy champion Ken Jennings. Naturally, Jeopardy viewers have plenty to say about this news.

On Sunday, Matt Belloni, who is the former editor of The Hollywood Reporter, shared in his What I'm Hearing newsletter that Jennings is being seriously considered to be the full-time Jeopardy! host. According to Belloni, who cited two show insiders, it's Jennings' "job to lose." As for the reason why he is now being considered, Belloni mentioned that Jennings has not been overly critical of Sony higher-ups as Richards' scandal continues to play out. He is also already a producing consultant on Jeopardy.

But, are fans here for Jennings as the full-time Jeopardy host? Check out what they had to say.

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While there are some who are excited about the prospect of Jennings becoming the next host, others aren't sold just yet. For many Jeopardy fans, they're still pulling for LeVar Burton to get the job.

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(Photo: Stewart Cook/ABC via Getty Images, Getty)

"Please let's just do this," one Reddit user said about the news. "When Ken was hosting right after the last Alex episodes aired, I just figured he was the choice & the guest host stints were to allow him time to prep for the job/get his stuff in order/etc. It felt like complete whiplash when the Richards announcement came."

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Some fans are already celebrating the news that it's reportedly Jennings' "job to lose." Although, he doesn't officially have the position just yet.

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Ken Jennings Jeopardy GOAT tournament Alex Trebek update
(Photo: Gary Gershoff / Contributor, Getty)

Many Jeopardy! viewers are pleased to hear that Jennings is now the reported frontrunner. As one individual put it on Reddit, "As it should have always been."

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Jennings may be the reported frontrunner, but fans have someone else in mind. As for those fans, their frontrunner is Burton.

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ken jennings abc getty images
(Photo: Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images)

"Ken is the face of Jeopardy! So likable," another Reddit user weighed in. "Genuinely funny and oh yea the undisputed GOAT. To me it's a no brainer. He's already pretty good at hosting but will get better with time."

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According to this fan, this was what viewers wanted to begin with. So, could Jennings get the full-time gig? Based on this latest report about the hosting saga, it seems likely.

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