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After two weeks of uncertainty following the death of Alex Trebek, Jeopardy! champion and record-holder Ken Jennings was named as one of the first interim hosts of the iconic TV game show.
Jeopardy! will resume production on November 30, and Jennings gets the honor of hosting the game show that made him a household name. The former contestant, who many consider to be the greatest Jeopardy! player of all-time, will be one of several interim hosts to try out for the position before the show names a permanent replacement, but none of the candidates will ever be able to replace the one and only Alex Trebek.
Jennings won the Jeopardy! “Greatest of All Time” showdown, and holds the all-time records for most consecutive games won and highest winnings in regular-season play. He tweeted, “There will only ever be one Alex Trebek, but I’m honored to be helping Jeopardy! out with this in January.”
There will only ever be one Alex Trebek, but I'm honored to be helping Jeopardy! out with this in January. https://t.co/2m2b5IQnkw
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) November 23, 2020
“Alex believed in the importance of JEOPARDY! and always said that he wanted the show to go on after him,” Executive Producer Mike Richards said in a statement. “We will honor Alex’s legacy by continuing to produce the game he loved with smart contestants and challenging clues. By bringing in familiar guest hosts for the foreseeable future, our goal is to create a sense of community and continuity for our viewers.”
We will resume production on 11/30 with a series of interim guest hosts from the Jeopardy! family – starting with Ken Jennings. Additional guest hosts to be announced. pic.twitter.com/0MdGqnzp3R
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) November 23, 2020
The show said the other hosts would be announced in the coming weeks. Jeopardy! fans have been naming their favorite possible replacements, which include Betty White, Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton, and ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos.
Trebek, who hosted Jeopardy! for more than 35 years, died on November 8 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The game show will honor the legendary host by airing “10 of his best episodes” in the weeks of December 21 and 28. Trebek’s final episodes will air the week of January 4, 2021, and the new interim-hosted episodes will begin on January 11.
As we remember and celebrate the life of Alex Trebek, we will air 10 of his best episodes the weeks of 12/21 and 12/28, and air his final week of episodes starting 1/4. https://t.co/HQaNewWa9U pic.twitter.com/aYPUOEuEwF
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) November 23, 2020