‘Jeopardy’ champ Ken Jennings apologizes again for crass tweets
Tasteless tweets written by game-show whiz Ken Jennings could put his chances of landing a dream job in jeopardy.
The 46-year-old brainiac, who holds the record for longest winning streak on “Jeopardy!” at 74 games, has apologized yet again for several repugnant social-media posts he previously penned.
“Nothing sadder than a hot person in a wheelchair,” read one Jennings tweet from Sept. 22, 2014.
The following year, he callously cracked on “Star Wars” superfan and cancer patient Daniel Fleetwood, who was the first person to view a screening of “The Force Awakens.”
Less than a week after watching the film, the 32-year-old man died of spindle cell sarcoma, reported NBC News at the time.
After learning of Fleetwood’s passing, Jennings quipped, “It can’t be a good sign that every fan who has seen the new ‘Star Wars’ movie died shortly thereafter.”
And in 2017, Jennings engaged in a Twitter feud with President Trump’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., when he joked about Trump Jr.’s half-brother, Barron.
“Barron Trump saw a very long necktie on a heap of expired deli meat in a dumpster,” tweeted Jennings. “He thought it was his dad and his little heart is breaking.”
Trump Jr. called the tweet a low blow while slamming Jennings as a member of the “left.”
But Jennings followed up by landing a dig regarding Trump Jr.’s hunting exploits.
Hey, I just wanted to own up to the fact that over the years on Twitter, I've definitely tweeted some unartful and insensitive things. Sometimes they worked as jokes in my head and I was dismayed to see how they read on screen. 1/x
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) December 30, 2020
“I will kill as many white rhinos as it takes to prove my masculinity to Donald Trump Jr.”
On Wednesday, Jennings admitted to his lapses in judgment.
“Hey, I just wanted to own up to the fact that over the years on Twitter, I’ve definitely tweeted some unartful and insensitive things,” Jennings wrote in a lengthy tweet thread. “Sometimes they worked as jokes in my head and I was dismayed to see how they read on screen.”
He also explained that he didn’t trash the unseemly posts to avoid the appearance of attempting to “whitewash a mistake.”
In November, it was announced that Jennings would serve as an interim “Jeopardy!” host after the death of Alex Trebek. On Wednesday, he concluded on an optimistic tone.
“If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we should be kinder to one another,” he said. “I look forward to heading into 2021 with that in mind.”
