Highlights
- Alex Trebek's passing left a significant impact on Jeopardy! fans.
- Ken Jennings initially felt immense pressure and nervousness when he was asked to temporarily host Jeopardy!
- While Jennings and Trebek had a professional relationship, it seemed that Trebek was open to the idea of Jennings succeeding him.
Since Alex Trebek hosted Jeopardy! for decades, he had millions of fans who wanted to know everything they could about him. A perfect example of that is fans wanted to know what Trebek did during commercial breaks and how much he was paid since other game show hosts' salaries have been revealed.
After Trebek passed away, Jeopardy!'s new hosts Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings had a lot to live up to. In Jennings' case, the pressure must have been intense since he once argued why Jeopardy!'s producers wouldn't pick him to host the show.
What Did Ken Jennings Think About Becoming The Host Of Jeopardy?
When Alex Trebek passed away in 2020, it wasn't a huge surprise to anyone. Since the world knew that Trebek had been battling stage IV pancreatic cancer for more than a year before his passing, everyone recognized that it was only a matter of time.
Even though Trebek's passing was expected, it hit many longtime Jeopardy! fans very hard. A beloved figure who'd been entering people's houses through their televisions for decades, Trebek seemed like the perfect Jeopardy! host.
Known for his often serious demeanor that lent the ultimate knowledge-based game show credibility, Trebek also notably had a good sense of humor. He was the kind of guy who in a moment of levity might pretend like he is about to throw the Emmy Award he just won.
Since Trebek seemed like the perfect Jeopardy! host and fans loved him so much, he seemed impossible to replace. Still, when Trebek passed away in 2020, the show had to go on.
Before Trebek passed away, he wanted CNN legal analyst Laura Coates to take over hosting Jeopardy! from him. However, Coates revealed that when she asked to guest host Jeopardy, she "was told 'no'". That left fans wondering who would take over Trebek's longtime gig.
After some drama, Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik were selected to be Jeopardy!'s permanent rotating hosts. In 2022, Jennings was interviewed by Vulture about going from a Jeopardy! contestant to the host of the show. During that interview, Jennings revealed how nervous he was when he was first asked to guest host the beloved game show.
"I’d like to say it was an honor, but really, all of the emotions around that were just panic. He had done the job so perfectly for decades and suddenly, within weeks of his passing, I had to step in as a substitute. It was really nerve-wracking. It’s a difficult job. Even if I could figure out some of the rudiments of it, you’ve got an audience that doesn’t want to see me out there. And I totally get that. They wanted to see Alex. I still do, too, every night."
Jennings then went on to talk about the amazing gift he received from Alex Trebek's widow before he guest-hosted Jeopardy! following the former host's passing.
"One of the producers motioned to a little box that was sitting in front of me. I opened it and it was a little jewelry box with Alex’s cufflinks and a very kind note from Jean Trebek offering support. It must have been a super hard time for her, and she was thinking about the poor schmuck trying to do her late husband’s old job. That was such a lovely gesture."
Jennings also spoke about how he grew into his current role as one of Jeopardy!'s permanent hosts.
"There was the panic of having to fill in for Alex, then there was so much relief when the shows aired and they seemed to go over well. The audience seemed to accept the idea of a guest host. By the time I had done my six weeks, I was like, 'You know what? This isn’t a bad idea. I feel like I could actually grow into this job and learn how to do it.'"
As of the time of this writing, Jennings has been serving as Jeopardy!'s permanent rotating host for years. With that in mind, it is amazing to learn that he once believed he would never even be considered for the role.
In 2010, Jennings participated in a Reddit Ask Me Anything session. During that process, a fan asked Jennings about becoming Jeopardy!'s host. "Do you think you'll be asked to take over for Trebek when he retires? Would you do it?"
In response to that question, Jennings pretty much dismissed that idea at the time. Jennings also pretty much argued why he shouldn't have even been considered for Trebek's job back then. "I doubt I would be asked...wouldn't they be more likely to go with someone with, you know, actually hosting experience?"
While Jennings didn't think he was the right man for the job in 2010, he did express how happy he would be for the opportunity. "That said, I would do it in a heartbeat. Talk about a dream job. That dude works like five days a month reading trivia questions (okay, "answers," YEESH) and makes millions. Plus millions of middle-aged cat ladies have sexy fantasies about him."
Were Alex Trebek And Ken Jennings Friends?
During Ken Jennings' aforementioned Vulture interview, he was asked how he reacted to the amazing gift that Alex Trebek's widow gave him. Vulture's interviewer suggested the idea that Trebek's widow gave the cufflinks as a way of sponsoring Jennings as the person to succeed her husband.
In response to that suggestion, Jennings spoke about the relationship he had with Trebek. According to Jennings, he believed that Trebek was okay with the idea of him taking over Jeopardy!'s hosting duties.
"I don’t want to put words in anybody’s mouth, but over the years, I did get the sense that it was an idea that wouldn’t have annoyed Alex. He asked me to read his audiobook when his voice wasn’t up to doing every chapter towards the end. I felt like that was a very nice gesture of successorship that he didn’t have to make."
Jennings also spoke to Vulture about the last conversation he had with Trebek. Based on how Jennings described that conversation, it certainly seemed like the two men were friendly. However, during his Vulture interview, Jennings clarified the true nature of his relationship with Trebek.
"Alex and I had a professional relationship. We weren’t, say, hanging out and going camping together, but every time I saw him, we got along well."
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGihnqeglr%2BlxYyhpqysXZa5psSMramempWgeqW1xJ1kpJ2eYremus2ipaCrXaeyra3Toqanq5ievXA%3D