Ken Jennings is beyond impressed with Ryan Seacrest’s hosting abilities.
That’s according to a source who witnessed Ken sharing his opinions with Jeopardy! audience members.
The Jeopardy! host recently spilled the beans about his feelings toward the Wheel of Fortune host.
As The Sun reports, an insider shared that in between takes on the set of Jeopardy!, Ken Jennings talked to the audience about visiting Ryan and Vanna White’s set next door at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California.
Although Ken is “rarely” on the lot at the same time as Ryan, this particular day, he was, and he took advantage by going inside to see Ryan in action.
While Ken has not addressed his opinions publicly, he reportedly shared them with Jeopardy! viewers during the taping says the tipster.
“Ken was sincerely blown away by how seamlessly Ryan has not just stepped into Pat’s shoes but made it his own,” the source revealed.
The informant continued, “At one point, he even joked that Ryan is a ‘much better’ host than himself. He was very complimentary of Ryan.”
“You can tell there is a lot of respect there, and it was fun to see them work their magic next door,” claimed The Sun’s source.
Not only was Ken impressed by Ryan, but he also was in awe of Wheel of Fortune’s “speed and routine.”
Ken complimented Ryan’s ‘seamless’ transition into hosting Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune has “a lot more moving parts” than Jeopardy!, so Ken was amazed by the show’s workings.
Ken may be singing Ryan’s praises these days, but last fall, Ken made Ryan the brunt of one of his jokes.
He seemingly took a lighthearted shot at his game show-hosting counterpart with a comment he made to his live audience during another instance.
“Ken asked the live audience if they enjoyed their time at the show before asking if any of them wished they’d gone to see Wheel of Fortune instead,” the informant revealed, as Monsters and Critics previously reported.
Ken Jennings is rumored to be a ‘humble’ host
According to another source who spoke with The Sun last year, Ken Jennings often interacts with Jeopardy! audience members who attend the show’s tapings.
“Ken is very humble, really kind to everyone on set, and eager to answer questions from guests,” they shared.
Ken’s role as the sole host of Jeopardy! “hasn’t gone to his head,” and “there’s no ego about him at all,” they added.
Ryan’s success has reportedly threatened Ken’s hosting position
Shortly after Ryan Seacrest took on the position as the host of Wheel of Fortune in September 2024, rumors swirled that Ken’s hosting gig at Jeopardy! was on the line.
Because of Ryan’s soaring ratings and his ability to quickly become the “game show golden boy,” Ken’s job was allegedly in, well… jeopardy.
At the time, a source claimed, “It doesn’t look good for Ken, who’s already under so much pressure.”
Not only did Ryan’s ratings threaten Ken’s success as a game show host, but Ken also came under fire for his “poor” delivery and timing at the podium, showing favoritism for specific contestants, making inconsistent rulings, and making mistakes on clues.
It’s rumored that Ken is catching heat from Jeopardy! executives, who are comparing his success to Ryan’s.
But before Ryan came into the picture at Sony Pictures Studios, Ken was the top dog, as Jeopardy! brought in more viewers overall last season before Ryan was at the helm.