Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings has enjoyed a rise to fame as an all-time great contestant who has taken over hosting the show.
While fans often differ in opinion about how game show hosts perform, many believe Jennings is “perfect” for the role.
A recent tribute post from Jeopardy! celebrated the “Evolution of Ken Jennings” and showed multiple photos from his 20-year journey.
The first batch of photos features Jennings as a younger contestant in 2004, including several images of him alongside the late, great Alex Trebek. Jennings made headlines for racking up multiple wins on the show and plenty of prize money.
Fast-forward to the current year, and the second Instagram slide shows photos of Jennings as the show’s current host. He’s been in that role since 2020 and wants to continue to shine.
The Jeopardy! tribute post includes Jennings holding up a “50” in one image and a picture of himself as a child in another as he celebrated his milestone birthday. Additional photos show Ken smirking and smiling as he interacts with contestants as host.
Fans react to ‘GOAT’ Ken Jennings in tribute
Jennings has big shoes to fill as he continues his role as Jeopardy! host, taking over for Trebek, who passed away in 2020.
The former contestant previously shared the hosting role with actress and TV host Mayim Bialik, who left the show temporarily amid last year’s writers’ strike before announcing she wouldn’t return.
In the comments of the Jeopardy! tribute post, many individuals praised Jennings’ work with the game show.
One commenter said, “Ken is absolutely the perfect person to host Jeopardy. He was made for that role and he’s doing a great job!!”
“Ken, I’m so glad you’re here to follow in Alex’s footsteps,” another individual commented.
A commenter called him “The perfect host to continue Alex Trebek’s legacy!”
“All hail the GOAT!! Can’t wait to see the new Clue Crew this season!” a commenter said.
Jennings is trying to improve his comedy to ‘be funny’ for the game show
Jennings wants to elevate his comedy for the game show, which means getting some coaching.
According to Closer Weekly, an anonymous inside source indicated that Jennings has hired a comedy coach to help him become funnier as Jeopardy! host.
“How to be genuinely funny is one of the things that hinders him. People on the show know it, Ken knows it deep down,” the insider said.
“He’s an awkward character and can’t make people laugh unlike his contemporaries, Steve Harvey and Drew Carey, and it bothers him. His delivery and timing have got to be improved if he’s to win over audiences,” the insider told Closer.
The insider said Jennings “wants to hone his craft and be funny” and has plenty of downtime because he only films episodes four days a week.
“He needs to focus on his comedic skills now, get some lessons and have people come on over to help him, give him some pointers. He wants to nail this thing and bosses are backing him,” the inside source said.
Another thing that may be driving Jennings is previous rumors he felt “slighted” over not being chosen to host the upcoming Jeopardy! Pop Culture spinoff. Instead, Saturday Night Live star Colin Jost will bring his comedic abilities as he hosts the spinoff.