Ken Jennings Defends Decision to Host JEOPARDY! Amid Strikes
By Movieguide® Contributor
Former contestant and CELEBRITY JEOPARDY! cohost Ken Jennings will replace host Mayim Bialik after she left the show to support the WGA strike.
Originally, Bialik and Jennings split hosting the original JEOPARDY! while Bialik hosted CELEBRITY JEOPARDY! and Jennings hosted TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS. However, due to the WGA strike, the fall season of TOURNAMENT was canceled as Jennings takes over hosting duties for CELEBRITY, set to premiere September 27.
“Our current plan is to go into a holding pattern of sorts, pushing back the season 39 postseason to first produce original episodes featuring the best of our WGA written material,” a JEOPARDY! spokesperson stated.
The TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS was canceled when a handful of contestants refused to appear on the show in support of the strike.
Former contestant Ray LaLonde voiced his objection to the show running while the WGA is on strike.
“As a supporter of the trade union movement, a union member’s son and a proud union member myself, I have informed the show’s producers that if the strike remains unresolved, I will not cross a picket line to play in the tournament of champions,” LaLonde wrote on Reddit.
Jennings, who holds the record for the most consecutive wins on JEOPARDY! at 74 wins, received harsh criticism for “crossing the picket line,” Fox News reported.
One angry X user posted, “You’re a disgrace if you’re trying to cross picket lines. [Former host] Alex [Trebek] would NEVER do anything of the sort. He would turn over his grave seeing you act like that.”
Jennings responded by posting a screenshot of a statement from one of the show’s spokespersons, reading: “JEOPARDY! has a long history with and tremendous respect for the WGA and our writers. We have always been careful to honor our WGA agreement, and we would never air game material not created by WGA (Writer’s Guild of America) writers.”
“However, just as we did, led by Alex Trebek, during the 2007-2008 strike, we will deliver first-run episodes again this fall to more than 200 affiliate stations nationwide,” the statement read.
The latest meeting with WGA negotiators and studio heads, such as Disney’s Bob Iger, did more to anger strikers than to bring resolution.
“This was the companies’ plan from the beginning — not to bargain, but to jam us. It is their only strategy — to bet that we will turn on each other,” WGA negotiators told their members.
One issue of contention is the number of writers that can be hired for a television show. The WGA wants a minimum of six writers, while the studios offer a maximum of three writers per show.
“The studio offer makes significant concessions in wage increases and begins to address writers’ concerns about streaming, artificial intelligence and ‘writers rooms’ — how many writers can be hired on a show — without going nearly as far as writers would like,” The Washington Post wrote.
The WGA strike began in May, and Hollywood has been dually impacted by the SAG-AFTRA strike that began in July, as Movieguide® previously reported:
The writers are asking for protection against AI and better residual pay from streaming services, neither of which have been approved by the AMPTP. These issues will need to be resolved before a deal is made.
Even as negotiations resume, it is unclear how open the AMPTP is to these key issues.
For many shows, their survival depends on the resolution of the strikes. If the shows cannot launch in the Spring, the studios will likely cut some newer scripted series, Deadline reports.
Shows that have yet to launch may survive because a delay will not impact their success as much. However, shows that launched last year may not recover from a yearlong break between seasons.
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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.
