*The following article contains discussion of suicide/self-harm.
Jeopardy! faced major scrutiny for including a clue mentioning the suicide of Gabby Petito's murderer Brian Laundrie.
Laundrie killed his fiancée Gabby Petito in August 2021.
Their case gripped the nation when she went missing after they had gone on a van living trip across the country together and he returned home alone.
After refusing to talk about her whereabouts and becoming a person of interest, he left his Florida home on September 13 and went missing a few days later.
His skeletal remains were later found at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in North Port, Florida next to a notebook in which he confessed to the murder of Petito.
A clue mentioning Laundrie's suicide on Sunday's episode of Celebrity Jeopardy! incurred backlash for having absolutely no relevance to the correct response.
Host Mayim Bialik read the following in front of contestants:
“In 2021 fugitive Brian Laundrie ended his days in Fla.’s Myakkahatchee Creek area, home to these long & toothy critters.”
Fire Island star Joel Kim Booster correctly answered:
"What are alligators?"
Viewers of the episode were flummoxed as to why the popular game show would casually provide a clue for the answer "alligators" in connection to a high-profile murder case while casually mentioning suicide.
Many saw the decision as one that desensitizes violence and mental health issues in America.
They also thought the man who violently took the life of his fiancée should never be mentioned or remembered on such a mainstream TV show.
Here are just some of the reactions from enraged social media users.
Users were able to come up with suitable alternatives.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/
@sko2535/Threads
@hayderz/Threads
@zetaplant2/Threads
@dark_elle_akalisa/Threads
@freeasfox/Threads
@mygirlfriday007/Threads
drbenwayoperates/Threads
