'Jeopardy!' fans react as Ken Jennings steps in for Mayim Bialik amid writers strike support

Kyle Moss
Ken Jennings appears at the 2020 ABC Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2020, left, and actress Mayim Bialik appears at the 23rd annual Critics' Choice Awards in Santa Monica, Calif., on Jan. 11, 2018. Bialik and Jennings will continue as tag-team hosts of “Jeopardy!” through the rest of this season. (AP Photo)
Ken Jennings is back at the "Jeopardy!" podium after his co-host, Mayim Bialik, stepped down from the final week of shooting in solidarity with the striking writers. (Photo: AP Photo) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Monday’s Jeopardy! marked the return of host Ken Jennings, who took over for Mayim Bialik after she stepped down in support of the current writers strike, and viewers were definitely excited to see him.

Jennings, who normally splits hosting duties with Bialik, worked the first part of the show’s current season — from August to December — with Bialik taking over in the new year. But she chose to sit out with just one week of shooting and 20 episodes left and, naturally, Jennings stepped back into the role to finish out Season 39.

And if reactions on Twitter were any indication, many viewers welcomed the late-season change with open arms.

Jeopardy!, which is among the most-watched shows in syndication, uses Writers Guild of America (WGA) writers for the clues in the game. More than 11,000 writers have been on strike since May 2, seeking higher pay and job security amid the rise of artificial intelligence.

Of course, with Jeopardy! taping its episodes in advance, writers banked plenty of clues so that production could continue beyond the strike, which is why Jennings saw no issue with doing the job. He told the Deseret News in June that because the clues were already locked, they “could be above board and just shoot the last week of scripts that had already been written.”

However, Bialik, who is also an actress and has appeared on shows like Blossom and The Big Bang Theory, stepped down from her duties in solidarity with the striking writers not long after the strike began. And while the majority of Twitter reactions were praising the return of Jennings, Bialik was missed by some as well.

No word yet on how Jeopardy! will proceed in the fall and who will be hosting, with much of it presumably depending on what happens with the strike. The previous two writers strikes in 1988 and 2007 took 22 weeks and 100 days, respectively, to get resolved.

But for now, Jennings will remain Jeopardy! host for the final four weeks of new episodes until a break for the summer. And by all accounts, the viewers will be happy.

Jeopardy! airs weekdays in syndication, check your local listings.

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