So many things changed for all of us in 2020, and one of those changes was a major blow to trivia enthusiasts: the loss of long-time Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek.
Shortly after Trebek passed away, Mike Richards stepped up to the podium, only to be quickly removed due to allegations of sexist and other inappropriate comments he made as a podcast host.
This led to the arrival of Big Bang Theory actress Mayim Bialik and former Jeopardy! winner Ken Jennings.
Things seemed to be smooth sailing for a while, as Bialik and Jennings took turns hosting the show, but when the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes began, Bialik stepped away to show her support while Jennings continued to host the show alone.
In spring 2023, fans began to wonder if Bialik was going to return to the show, specifically when a TV poster was released for the upcoming season featuring Jennings without Bialik. Nothing was made official at that time, and the poster has since been removed.
But this week, Bialik announced that she had officially been relieved of her duties on the show:
"As the holiday break begins in Hollywood, I have some Jeopardy! news. Sony has informed me that I will no longer be hosting the syndicated version of Jeopardy!."
"I am incredibly honored to have been nominated for a primetime Emmy for hosting this year and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of the Jeopardy! family."
"For all of you who have supported me through this incredible journey and to the fans, contestants, writers, staff and crew of America's Favorite Quiz Show, thank you."
You can see her announcement here:
The producers at Jeopardy! also made an announcement, citing a desire to "maintain continuity."
"Mayim Bialik has announced she will no longer be hosting the syndicated version of Jeopardy!."
"We made the decision to have one host for the syndicated show next season to maintain continuity for our viewers, and Ken Jennings will be the sole host for syndicated Jeopardy!."
"We are truly grateful for all of Mayim's contributions to Jeopardy!, and we hope to continue to work with her on primetime specials."
You can see their announcement here:
Fans were deeply divided over the news. Some Jeopardy! purists can't see any possible replacement for Trebek, but those who have moved on developed strong opinions over which host they liked better: Jennings or Bialik.
Bialik also received quite a bit of negative attention, first for participating in the strikes instead of continuing to appear on the show, and again when she showed avid support for Israel instead of Palestine.
There were those who also were not the biggest fans of her hosting and comedic timing on Jeopardy! and questioned her chances as a long-term host.
There were positive and negative responses to the news, but many had deeply mixed feelings over the decision.
@PatriciaHeaton I\xe2\x80\x99ve always really disliked her, especially as a jeopardy host. No shade, she\xe2\x80\x99s just not my cup of tea. But if this is because of her political statements, uncool\xe2\x80\xa6 I\xe2\x80\x99d rather she be let go for legitimate reasons related to her screen presence— (@)
@PatriciaHeaton This can\xe2\x80\x99t be happening \n \xf0\x9f\x92\x94\xf0\x9f\x92\x94\xf0\x9f\x92\x94\xf0\x9f\x92\x94\xf0\x9f\x98\xa2\xf0\x9f\x98\xa2\xf0\x9f\x98\xa2\xf0\x9f\x98\xa2 \n\nAnd yet it is!\n\nAnd here\xe2\x80\x99s @missmayim responding with nothing but grace and dignity. A lesson I will TRY to adopt and emulate— (@)
It's unclear what's next for Bialik, but between stepping away from her position for the strikes and making her opinions about the war between Israel and Palestine well-known, she obviously is not shy about sharing her opinions of what's going on in the world.
Hopefully, she'll have an opportunity to put that drive to good use.
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