Ken Jennings had no concept Mayim Bialik was leaving ‘Jeopardy’

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Ken Jennings was simply as shocked as everybody else when his “Jeopardy!” co-host Mayim Bialik introduced final week that she was leaving the sport present.

“It took me off guard, as a result of I cherished working with my Mayim and I’m gonna miss her,” Jennings instructed the Hollywood Reporter. “I can’t converse to her decision-making course of or her opinions about it.”

The previous “Jeopardy!” champion added that he didn’t know what motivated the choice, which left him as the only real host of the present after splitting internet hosting duties with Bialik since 2021.

Bialik introduced her departure on Friday in a press release posted to her X account, writing, “Sony has knowledgeable me that I’ll now not be internet hosting the syndicated model of Jeopardy!”

Sony Footage Tv, which produces the sequence, beforehand stated in a press release to The Instances that the studio “made the choice to have one host for the syndicated present subsequent season to keep up continuity for our viewers, and Ken Jennings would be the sole host for syndicated Jeopardy!”

“We’re really grateful for all of Mayim’s contributions to Jeopardy!,” the assertion continued, “and we hope to proceed to work along with her on primetime specials.”

Jennings and Bialik have been a part of rotating solid of hosts who stepped in after longtime host Alex Trebek died in November 2020. Different visitor hosts included LeVar Burton, Anderson Cooper, Aaron Rodgers and Katie Couric.

The present’s then-executive producer Mike Richards was tapped as a everlasting substitute in 2021. However the stint lasted solely every week after sexist feedback Richards had made on a podcast resurfaced, together with earlier lawsuits alleging wrongful termination, gender-based harassment and retaliation filed by former feminine workers on “The Worth Is Proper” whereas he produced that present.

Jennings and Bialik closed out the remainder of the yr as co-hosts earlier than the roles grew to become everlasting final yr.

Earlier than changing into host, Jennings had a prolific run on TV sport exhibits, dominating “1 vs. 100,” “Grand Slam,” “Are You Smarter Than a fifth Grader?” and “Jeopardy!,” on which he set a file for the longest successful streak in 2004 at 74 video games. He instructed THR that he felt “extraordinarily fortunate to have even been thought-about for this job as a non-broadcaster” and added that he seemed ahead to “37 extra years of doing it, after I’ll be a really, very previous man.” Trebeck had hosted the present for 38 years, taping his remaining episode simply 10 days earlier than his dying.

A star of CBS sitcom “The Large Bang Idea,” Bialik additionally starred in and produced the sitcom “Name Me Kat,” which Fox canceled this yr after three seasons. She continues to host her common weekly podcast, “Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown.”

Instances employees author Ashley Lee contributed to this report.

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