It’s been one year since the world said goodbye to longtime Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek. One year after his passing, former Jeopardy champion Ken Jennings will return to guest host the program. Jennings was tapped as one of two guest hosts (alongside Mayim Bialik) for the show in light of the scandal surrounding Mike Richards, the former Jeopardy producer who was chosen to be the next full-time host of the series. Richards stepped down from the position amid allegations of workplace misconduct and was later fired from his position as producer for both Jeopardy and Wheel Fortune.
Trebek died on Nov. 8, 2020. According to The Blast, the show will mark the first year since his death by having Jennings host. The former champion will take over for Bialik on Monday, Nov. 8. The actor has been hosting the quiz show for the past few weeks but will be returning to film the second season of her show, Call Me Kat. In the wake of Richards’ scandal, both Bialik and Jennings were named as the interim guest hosts of Jeopardy while the show determines who will permanently take over the position.ย
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Jennings was reportedly the highest-rated guest host of them all. While there were over a dozen guest hosts, which included everyone from Aaron Rodgers to Katie Couric, Jennings drew the highest ratings during his stint at the podium. During his first week as the guest host, Jeopardy drew in an average of 10.3 million views. The Blast noted that this amount was only second to Trebek’s final episodes.ย
Trebek died in November 2020 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He had been battling the illness since March 2019. But, even though he was battling cancer, he remained as the host of Jeopardy. Following the news of his passing, Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra issued a statement in which he mourned the “legend” who will be dearly missed by so very many around the world. His statement read, “For 37 amazing years, Alex was the comforting voice, that moment of escape and entertainment at the end of a long, hard day for millions of people around the world. He was the heart and soul of Jeopardy! and he will be deeply missed by everyone who made him part of their lives. Our hearts go out to Jean, Matthew, Emily and Nicky.”
