After a few days of speculation, the rumors have been confirmed: “Jeopardy!” is permanently keeping its two-host rotation.
On Wednesday, the quiz show announced that Ken Jennings and Mayim Biailk have both signed deals to continue hosting.
“The fact is, we have so much ‘Jeopardy!’ to make, and so many plans for the future, that we always knew we would need multiple hosts for the franchise and we are just so grateful that Mayim and Ken stepped in and stepped up to put the show in a position to succeed,” “Jeopardy!” Executive Producer Michael Davies said in a statement.
Davies noted that “Jeopardy!” viewership has gone up “considerably” during the show’s current season, with more than 27 million viewers tuning in each week.
“When you consider that almost every other show in broadcast television and syndication is declining, this has been a quite remarkable season,” Davies said. “We’re the most-watched entertainment show on all of television. Yes, all of television.”
Who will permanently host ‘Jeopardy!’?
Season 39 of “Jeopardy!” will begin in September, with Jennings kicking off as host through December. Bialik will then take over as host in January, although Davies didn’t specify how long she would host due to her commitments to the sitcom “Call Me Kat.”
In addition, Jennings will host the greatly anticipated Tournament of Champions that will feature several contestants from this current season who have had spectacular runs: Amy Schneider, Matt Amodio, Mattea Roach and Ryan Long. Bialik, meanwhile, will host “Celebrity Jeopardy!,” the “Jeopardy!” National College Championship and other new tournaments.
“We know you value consistency, so we will not flip-flop the hosts constantly and will keep you informed about the hosting schedule,” Davies said.
Jennings and Bialik — who had both expressed an interest in hosting permanently — have been splitting the responsibility since the second day of filming for Season 38. The season’s first five games were hosted by Richards, who abruptly stepped down when past controversies — including his “offensive language” and disparaging remarks about women’s bodies on a podcast that resurfaced in a report from The Ringer — came to light, per Deseret News.
“The scandal was, as we call it at ‘Jeopardy!,’ ‘the awkward months,’” Davies recently said at the Daytime Emmy Awards, according to Variety. “But it showed the power of our audience and how passionately our fans care about the program, which is just so important.
“What’s happened over the course of the season — Matt Amodio, and Amy Schneider and Mattea (Roach) and Ryan (Long) — really made us just remember how incredible the game is. The stars of our show and Mayim and Ken have done an incredible job hosting.”
When does the new season of ‘Jeopardy!’ start?
After two years of COVID-19 restrictions, “Jeopardy!” announced it is finally welcoming back live audiences for Season 39 — and tickets for some of the first shows back have already sold out.
According to the show’s website, “Jeopardy!” is filming for its upcoming season, which kicks off in September, as early as Aug. 2. Tickets for tapings on Sept. 14 and 15 will soon be available.