‘Jeopardy!’ Reveals Its Final Hosting Decision

Jeopardy! will reportedly continue featuring Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings as hosts through at least the upcoming Season 39. The former Big Bang Theory star and the former Jeopardy! champion split hosting duties during most of Season 38, following Mike Richards’ ill-fated short tenure. They both participated in the celebrity host carousel during Season 37, following the legendary Alex Trebek’s death.

Sony Pictures Television has not commented on the speculation, but sources told Deadline Monday that Bialik and Jennings, 48, are finalizing deals to be back for Season 39. The negotiations with Bialik, 46, reportedly centered on her availability since she is still working on the Fox sitcom Call Me Kat. Bialik was also hired to host the primetime Jeopardy! specials and spinoff shows. She will likely host the first season of Celebrity Jeopardy! on ABC Sunday nights, although Sony hasn’t made that official yet.

Bialik and Jennings have been alternating as the two Jeopardy! hosts for the majority of Season 38. The season began in total chaos following Richards’ scandals. Richards was hired as executive producer for the 2020-2021 season, so he was at the reins of the show when Trebek died in November 2020. He then arranged a carousel of guest hosts for the remainder of the season, setting aside two weeks of shows for himself.

After the season ended, it emerged that Richards was in talks with Sony to become the permanent Jeopardy! host in early August 2021. Then, the controversies from his tenure as executive producer of The Price is Right resurfaced, including the wrongful termination and sexual harassment lawsuits. His misogynistic and racist comments from a podcast also emerged. Richards filmed five Jeopardy! episodes as host, but the pressure from the scandals led Richards to resign as host. For a week, Sony kept Richards as the executive producer before finally firing him. Michael Davies has since taken over as the permanent Jeopardy! executive producer.

Although Bialik has other projects in the works, she told Entertainment Tonight in March she “would love” to be made the permanent Jeopardy! host. “I think being a female is its own mark,” Bialik said. “My grandparents were immigrants to this country, so I think for me, being in two generations being a woman and a host in that iconic role blows my mind.”

Bialik added that it was an honor to meet Trebek and it would be impossible to “match” the television icon. “I got to meet them when we dedicated the stage and just feel so humbled around them,” she told ET. “I want to only honor. You can’t match him, so there’s no need to try, but do it continuously, and have their blessing and feel what they are doing is supporting that legacy.”