As Jeopardy! prepares to move ahead with Season 40 with recycled material, host Ken Jennings is facing increasing pressure from fans to step away in solidarity with the ongoing WGA strike.
Earlier this week, the game show announced it would be postponing its postseason tournaments, including the 2023 Tournament of Champions, but will be going ahead with Season 40 tapings despite the ongoing strike. Several Season 39 champions previously stated they would be boycotting the TOC until the strike was resolved.
“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 said in a statement. Season 40 is scheduled to begin filming on August 5 and will start airing on September 11.
The show has yet to reveal who will be hosting the landmark 40th season. In May, Mayim Bialik skipped the last week of Season 39 tapings to show solidarity with the WGA strike. Jennings was called in to fill in for Bialik for the remainder of the season, which drew criticism from some circles.
Former Jeopardy! champion Wil Wheaton blasted Jennings for his decision to cross the picket line, referring to him as a “scab.”
“This is a VERY small town, Ken Jennings, and we will all remember this,” Wheaton wrote on Facebook. “Your privilege may protect you right now, but we will *never* forget… It’s like this: did you cross a picket line? If yes, you are a scab who turned your back on organized labor. If no, you’re a decent person who stands with your fellow workers.”
Now, many Jeopardy! fans are urging Jennings to step away from his hosting duties until the strike is resolved.
“I applauded Mayim for stepping away in solidarity, but had no problem with Ken filling in for the last few weeks’ worth of shows. But I admit I’ll be disappointed if he comes back for the new season with clue recycling,” wrote one fan on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum.
“Friendly reminder that Ken Jennings has been doing scab work since the strikes began affecting Jeopardy!” another viewer tweeted.
“Jeopardy! is a life-long bond between my mom & me. We both rooted for Jennings to become host (Trebek not dying was preferable)… finding out he’s a scab just stinks,” added another. “Whether she & I are together or texting or catching up the next day, WE CAN DEAL WITH RERUNS. Geez Ken.”
“Ken is a smart guy, smart enough to understand what he’s doing, which is crossing a picket line. Not buying the “showbiz outsider” story. Sorry Jeopardy, you’re off my viewing list,” said another.
“I’m glad Mayim did the right thing. Ken should have and let re-runs play as the other shows have,” added one fan.
However, others weren’t quite so harsh on Jennings’ decision, with one viewer writing, “I understand and agree with both Mayim and Ken’s choices, there’s no need to publicly shame him. I see Mayim as an actress and member of the union, so I understand her position and do respect it. I don’t see Ken as an actor and admittedly am ignorant if he’s a member of any sort of union.”
Former Jeopardy! super-champ Mattea Roach also shared their thoughts on the Season 40 decision, telling CTV News, “It would be preferable for the season to not commence with new episodes until the strike is resolved.
Roach went on to note that they weren’t sure if contractual obligations forced the show’s hand, but either way, they emphasized how important the show’s writers are to Jeopardy!‘s success.
“When I participated in Tournament of Champions and when I did (Jeopardy Masters), it was very clear that the writers were attuned to the level of material that was needed,” Roach said. “It’s clear that the show’s producers recognize how critical the writers are to making the show what it is.”
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