Katie Couric’s commentary about President Donald Trump and his supporters may get in the way of her chance to guest-host Jeopardy! According to a report by The New York Post‘s Page Six, producers are nervous about Couric’s reception after she condemned Trump’s conspiracy theories during a Jan. 15 appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher.
Couric and Maher spoke about the conspiracy theories that Trump promoted during his presidency, such as the “QAnon” beliefs that led to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Couric raised concerns that some lawmakers “are believing the garbage that they are being fed 24/7 on the internet, by their constituents, and they bought into this big lie. And the question is: how are we going to really almost deprogram these people who have signed up for the cult of Trump?” Jeopardy! producers reportedly fear that these comments will come off as “condescending” and “elitist.”
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A source close to the game show production told Page Six that producers are especially nervous about how Couric will be received since the Jeopardy! audience now has a median age of 64.2 years old. They said: “The Jeopardy! audience is very conservative. And the show has always steered clear of politics. Katie’s comments so soon after she was announced as a host are very concerning to the producers. They are worried there will be a backlash against her.”
“Jeopardy! viewers are quite a traditional bunch, and there’s fears she might be too polarizing after this,” the insider went on. “At the very least, she already appears to have ruled herself out of becoming the permanent host of the show.”
Couric — herself 64 years old — is slated to guest-host Jeopardy! for one week following the death of long-time host Alex Trebek. However, it seems unlikely that Couric was vying for a place as Trebek’s permanent replacement since she now owns and operates her own company called Katie Couric Media. She declined Page Six‘s request for further comment on this story.
Moreover, Couric is just one of several celebrity guest-hosts joining Jeopardy! in the weeks to come. Others include actress Mayim Bialik, NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings. So far, none of them appears to be in the running for a permanent position, and producers are keeping quiet on how they plan to move forward in the long term. Jeopardy! airs on weeknights at 7 p.m. ET on ABC.
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NEW YORK CITY – DECEMBER 19: "Toil and Trouble" – Elsbeth is thrown into the world of television after the showrunner of a long-running police procedural is brutally murdered in his office, and although it appears to be the act of a disgruntled fan, she begins to suspect the show's longtime star Regina Coburn (Laurie Metcalf) who yearns for artistic fulfillment. Meanwhile, Judge Crawford (Michael Emerson) continues to be a thorn in Elsbeth's side, on the CBS original series ELSBETH, Thursday, Dec. 19 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs). Pictured (L-R): Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni and Carra Patterson as Kaya Blanke. (Photo by Michael Parmelee/CBS via Getty Images)
