Ken Jennings to Host CELEBRITY JEOPARDY! as Mayim Bialik Exits for Strikes
By Movieguide® Contributor
CELEBRITY JEOPARDY! host Mayim Bialik has decided to step down from her role to stand in solidarity with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
“ABC issued a press release with changes to their fall schedule, noting that Ken Jennings will host the new season of CELEBRITY JEOPARDY! which premieres Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. ET,” Variety reported on Monday.
USA TODAY added that Bialik is a member of the SAG-AFTRA, which seemingly led to her decision.
Although some actors, including Bialik, recorded parts of season 2 before the strike, Jennings hosted the remaining episodes, according to USA TODAY.
JEOPARDY! Writers previously shared their thoughts on the show’s future.
“Our words are on the screen every night,” writer Michele Loud told Variety. “There is no JEOPARDY without writers. Without us it’s just an empty blue screen.”
Despite the writers being on strike, showrunner Michael Davies revealed how the show will move forward.
“We’re going to open the season with a second chance tournament for players from Season 37 who lost their initial game. Winners from that will advance to a Season 37 and Season 38 Champions Wildcard,” he said, according to Variety.
The show will use “material that has been re-deployed from multiple multiple seasons of the show.”
Movieguide® previously reported on the negotiations between the WGA and theAMPTP:
The AMPTP is using the deal that the DGA agreed to earlier as a template for overlapping issues, such as pay increases,” the article shared. “Many writer-specific issues, however, have yet to come close to a resolution. While the most recent deal expressed a willingness to increase TV minimums, it failed to address key issues like the minimum size of writers’ rooms or success-based residuals.
While the AMPTP seems to want to make only small changes to punch through a deal, as it did with the DGA, the WGA has made it clear they will not return to work until multiple industry-level changes have been agreed upon.
“Rest assured, this committee does not intend to leave anyone behind, or make merely an incremental deal to conclude this strike,” a WGA strike update said.
“Starting to get the feeling that the AMPTP negotiators are not used to being told ‘no,’ not realizing that writers and actors are told no seven times a day before breakfast,” WGA Board candidate Rob Forman tweeted.
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
