Is ‘Jeopardy!’ Host Mayim Bialik Reportedly Refusing to Let Ken Jennings Take Over Hosting Duties?

Is Mayim Bialik struggling to cling to her Jeopardy! position? According to the Globe via Suggest, Bialik has signaled to producers that she won’t go down easily. 

The outlet reported this week that Bialik had taken measures to ensure the show would not be in the hands of her rival co-host Ken Jennings. “She’s feeling threatened by Ken more than ever,” an insider said. “He’s supposed to be on hiatus, but bosses are dangling him in front of the fans and pitting him and Mayim against each other. It burns her that everyone is making it look like audiences prefer Ken.”

Other sources claim the show’s actions have begun to offend Bialik. “She has a degree in neuroscience and she’s not going to be a part of their mean mind games,” the source said, noting that Jennings is keeping a close eye on Bialik’s performances. “Mayim’s sick and tired of smug Ken laughing at her while sitting on the sidelines during his break.”

There are several contradictory statements in the Globe’s story. Jennings is likely not “waiting in the wings” for Bialik to commit a mistake. The host stepped away in May for undisclosed personal reasons but returned on July 18 to continue his duties. 

The tabloid also failed to mention that showrunners announced there would be no more competition for a permanent hosting role on July 27. This co-hosting system appears to be working, and producers plan to split hosting duties permanently between Jennings and Bialik. 

In fact, during a recent interview on the Life is Short with Justin Long podcast via Woman & Home, Bialik admitted that she has only met Jennings once since taking turns hosting the show this past September.

After confirming the two would share Jeopardy! hosting duties, long asked her how she and Jennings get along, to which the actor and neurologist answered, “We’ve met once” due to COVID-19 restrictions. Bialik explained the show’s producers “are very strict about who’s there. When he’s there, he’s there. When I’m there, I’m there.”

Despite that, the two personalities did meet in person once when they “dedicated the stage” to Alex Trebek, the show’s longtime host, who passed away in 2020 due to pancreatic cancer. While on the podcast, the 46-year-old game show host expressed excitement over getting to work with Jennings in the future. Bialik said, “I look forward to getting to [spend] more time with [Ken]. He’s obviously a legend and an icon and incredibly significant in the history of Jeopardy!”