When (or will) Mayim Bialik return to Jeopardy!? Last summer, Bialik and Ken Jennings were officially introduced as the new co-hosts of Jeopardy! ‘s syndicated version after a year of chaos that had seen the duo temporarily step in to fill the role left behind by Alex Trebek’s brief, initial successor, Mike Richards. The two were expected to continue to share emcee duties both for the upcoming 40th season as well as for the franchise’s host duties on ABC’s primetime editions, with Bialik once again handling Celebrity Jeopardy! on her own. The shared host format was disrupted when Bialik decided to stop hosting a week early in solidarity with the writers for Jeopardy!, while Jennings hosted the remaining episodes of the season. On Aug. 7th, just as the third month of the WGA strike had begun, Michael Davies, the executive producer and showrunner, announced via the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, a modified Season 40 format incorporating recycled questions and recycled contestants until labor issues were resolved, according to TVLine.
However, Davies’ detailed announcement did not mention who would be hosting Season 40 when it returns on Monday, Sept. 11. In light of the strike, it seems likely that Bialik will remain on the sidelines for the duration of the strike. As pressure mounts, will Jennings follow his co-host in refusing to cross the picket line? Jennings has seemed to confirm that yes, indeed, he is returning as the show’s headliner, regardless of the backlash. A fan on Twitter/X who called him a “disgrace” for crossing the picket line was replied to by Jennings sharing a section of a recent Sony press release noting that during the 2007-08 writers’ strike, when the show used old, WGA-approved material once more, Trebek remained on as host.
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A new poster celebrating Jeopardy! ‘s just-completed 39th season was released by the show’s official social media accounts on Aug. 18. The poster featured Jennings front and center, whereas, despite having presided over half of the season, Bialik was nowhere to be seen. TVLine reported that Sony declined to comment on what appeared to be a snub of Bialik, as well as to answer a follow-up question regarding whether Bialik was still a member of the Jeopardy! family. On Monday, the season 39 poster without Bialik had been quietly removed from Jeopardy!’s Instagram and X accounts (fka Twitter accounts). Hours later, ABC announced that Jennings would be the new host of Celebrity Jeopardy! when it returns to primetime on Sept. 27, replacing Bialik in the role. Interestingly enough, TVLine noted that Bialik’s management team at UTA, which also represents Jennings, has passed along any and all questions about Bialik’s future on Jeopardy! to Sony.
