{"id":4566223,"date":"2023-08-08T11:31:27","date_gmt":"2023-08-08T15:31:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/?p=4566223"},"modified":"2023-08-08T11:31:36","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T15:31:36","slug":"who-is-hosting-jeopardy-this-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/feature\/who-is-hosting-jeopardy-this-week-4566223\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Jeopardy!\u2019: Who Will Host Next Season, Returning Contestants, &#038; More You Need To Know"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>&#8216;Jeopardy!&#8217; will return for season 40 with big changes due to the writers strike. Here&#8217;s everything you need to know.<\/h3>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-1\"><!--more--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Jeopardy!\u00a0<\/em>is a popular game show hosted by Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik.<\/li>\n<li>Season 39 premiered September 12, 2022 and ended on July 28, 2023.<\/li>\n<li>Mayim stepped away from\u00a0<em>Jeopardy!\u00a0<\/em>during season 39 due to the writers strike.<\/li>\n<li>Season 40 will feature recycled questions and contestants amidst the strike.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-2\">Season 39 of\u00a0<em><a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/tag\/jeopardy!\/\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener\"  >Jeopardy!<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>premiered on September 12, 2022, and ended on July 28, 2023, with new permanent hosts <a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/tag\/mayim-bialik\/\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener\"  ><strong>Mayim Bialik<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and <a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/feature\/who-is-ken-jennings-jeopardy-contestant-author-3868694\/\"  ><strong>Ken Jennings<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0The beloved American game show is without its longtime host <a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/tag\/alex-trebek\/\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener\"  ><strong>Alex Trebek<\/strong><\/a>, who tragically died in November 2020. Alex&#8217;s final show aired on January 8, 2021, after which a lineup of guest hosts took over. In August 2021, executive producer <strong>Mike Richards<\/strong> was named the host of the syndicated version, while Mayim\u00a0was chosen to host the primetime specials and spinoff series. However, Mike had to step down due to <a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/2021\/08\/20\/mike-richards-quits-jeopardy-host-statement\/\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener\"  >past controversies<\/a>, so Mayim and Ken were named interim hosts before the change was made permanent.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CrwswiVPsHq\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:500px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CrwswiVPsHq\/?utm_source=ig_embed&#038;utm_campaign=loading\"  style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\"  target=\"_blank\"  > <\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;align-items: center\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px\">\n<div style=\"color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-3\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CrwswiVPsHq\/?utm_source=ig_embed&#038;utm_campaign=loading\"  style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\"  target=\"_blank\"  >A post shared by Jeopardy! (@jeopardy)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-4\"><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-5\">Although Mayim has been openly proud to host the hit show, she announced on May 11, 2023, she would be exiting the season early in support of the <a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/feature\/tv-shows-delayed-writers-strike-2023-5096577\/\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener\"  >ongoing writers strikes<\/a> in Hollywood, per\u00a0<a  href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2023\/05\/writers-strike-jeopardy-mayim-bialik-1235359858\/\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener\"  ><em>Deadline<\/em><\/a>. Ken took over her hosting duties and filmed the final episodes of the season between May 16 and May 19, aired through the final week of July. After the season wrapped, <em>Jeopardy!<\/em> showrunner <strong>Michael Davies\u00a0<\/strong>confirmed that <a  href=\"https:\/\/tvline.com\/news\/jeopardy-season-40-start-date-host-ken-jennings-writers-strike-1235024275\/\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener\"  >season 40<\/a> (premiering September 11, 2023) will feature recycled questions and contestants due to the writers strike. There will also be an increase in the prize money for season 40.<\/p>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-6\">Ken and Mayim are the official hosts of <em>Jeopardy!<\/em>, though Mayim is taking a break from the show until the strike ends. Ken also hosts the Second Chance tournament and the Tournament of Champions, while Mayim&#8217;s hosted the <i>Celebrity Jeopardy!\u00a0<\/i>and the National College Championship. Below, learn more about the reigning champion on <em>Jeopardy!<\/em> and upcoming shows.<\/p>\n<h2>Ken Jennings was the latest host of <em>Jeopardy!<\/em><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4801022\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4801022\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4801022 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Jeopardy-Everything-To-Know-SS-embed-2.jpg?resize=620%2C462\" alt=\"Alex Trebek\" width=\"620\" height=\"462\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4801022\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ken Jennings (Photo: Seth Wenig\/AP\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-7\">Ken was the host <em>Jeopardy! <\/em>as season 39 wrapped up at the end of July 2023. He hosted the show from when the season premiered, in September 2022, until February 2023, when Mayim stepped in to host. She was supposed to host until the end of the season, in July 2023, but she stepped down in support of the <a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/feature\/tv-shows-delayed-writers-strike-2023-5096577\/\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener\"  >striking writers in Hollywood<\/a>, as mentioned above. Ken hosted the rest of season 39 which ended on July 28. He is the most famous former <em>Jeopardy!\u00a0<\/em>champion and has the longest winning streak in the show&#8217;s history with 74 consecutive wins. He won $4.5 million as a contestant.<\/p>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-8\">Mayim began her hosting run in Feb. 2023 after she finished hosting <i>Celebrity<\/i> Jeopardy!, which was won by actor and comedian\u00a0<a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/2023\/03\/02\/ike-barinholtz-justin-theroux-history-of-the-world-part-two-interview\/\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener\"  ><strong>Ike Barinholtz<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-9\">When the official announcement was made about Ken and Mayim serving as the new hosts, <em>Jeopardy!<\/em> EP Michael Davies noted that the hosts would switch off hosting the flagship series. \u201cWhen she takes over from Ken in January, the current plan is to have her host a couple of new tournaments as well as the J<em>eopardy! National College Championship<\/em> and as many weeks as she can manage with her other primetime commitment to Call Me Kat,\u201d Michael <a  class=\"Link\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.jeopardy.com\/jbuzz\/news-events\/note-jeopardy-ep-michael-davies-new-hosts-and-new-initiatives\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener nofollow\"  data-cms-ai=\"0\"  >said in a statement.<\/a> \u201cWe know you value consistency, so we will not flip-flop the hosts constantly and will keep you informed about the hosting schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5020569\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5020569\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Mayim-Bialik-Wil-Wheaton-Jeopardy-Final-ABC-embed-2.jpg?resize=620%2C496\"  ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-5020569 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Mayim-Bialik-Wil-Wheaton-Jeopardy-Final-ABC-embed-2.jpg?resize=620%2C496\" alt=\"Mayim Bialik\" width=\"620\" height=\"496\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-5020569\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mayim Bialik is the host of &#8216;Celebrity Jeopardy!&#8217; (ABC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-10\">Mayim loved being the host of <i>Celebrity Jeopardy! <\/i>which came down to Ike, <strong>Wil Wheaton<\/strong>, and <strong>Patton Oswalt<\/strong> in <a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/2023\/02\/02\/mayim-bialik-celebrity-jeopardy-final-wil-wheaton-interview\/\"  >the final round<\/a> that aired February 2, 2023.<\/p>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-11\">&#8220;Wil is one of those people who has a vast amount of knowledge that not only he has and can recall quickly, which there are plenty of smart people who in the environment of <em>Jeopardy!<\/em> would look like they don&#8217;t know anything because it&#8217;s the ability to get the buzzer, get the timing, not start crying because you&#8217;re so anxious, which is what I would do, and be able to kind of pull that information quickly&#8230; Wil&#8217;s always been that person in my life, who I knew <em>knew<\/em> lots of things about lots of things. So it&#8217;s been very fun to see him get to show that side of himself this way,&#8221; she told <strong>HollywoodLife <\/strong>EXCLUSIVELY about her former<em> Big Bang Theory<\/em> co-star.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Ci74Z1Rhw9D\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:500px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Ci74Z1Rhw9D\/?utm_source=ig_embed&#038;utm_campaign=loading\"  style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\"  target=\"_blank\"  > <\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;align-items: center\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px\">\n<div style=\"color:#3897f0;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:550;line-height:18px\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-12\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Ci74Z1Rhw9D\/?utm_source=ig_embed&#038;utm_campaign=loading\"  style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\"  target=\"_blank\"  >A post shared by Jeopardy! (@jeopardy)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-13\"><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-14\"><strong>HollywoodLife\u00a0<\/strong>spoke to Mayim at the\u00a0<a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/2020\/12\/17\/call-me-kat-guest-stars-revealed-mayim-bialik-show\/\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener\"  ><em>Call Me Kat\u00a0<\/em><\/a>press junket on September 21 about how she balances hosting\u00a0<em>Jeopardy!<\/em><em>\u00a0<\/em>and producing\/starring in the FOX sitcom. &#8220;I mean, just my exhaustion level mostly. I think I&#8217;ve always been a person who talks like I&#8217;m speaking through a textbook, so I don&#8217;t think <em>Jeopardy<\/em> has made that more so, but no, it&#8217;s definitely changed my scheduling and honestly, it&#8217;s brought into focus how much energy I do still need for <em>Call Me Kat<\/em>,&#8221; Mayim said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-15\">&#8220;And last year, obviously, was kind of unusual circumstances to burn the candle at both ends,&#8221; she added. &#8216;But this year, I&#8217;m actually pacing out a lot more of my responsibilities to <em>Jeopardy<\/em> in a way that I don&#8217;t feel takes away our time from what we do at <em>Call Me Kat<\/em>. So, I guess that&#8217;s kind of a difference. But I&#8217;m very relieved I get to wear sneakers on <em>Call Me Kat<\/em> most of the time. And on <em>Jeopardy,<\/em> I always have to wear heels.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Current <em>Jeopardy! <\/em>Champion<\/h2>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-16\">Since\u00a0<em>Jeopardy!<\/em> is on hiatus right now, there is no current champion. <a  href=\"https:\/\/tvline.com\/news\/jeopardy-season-40-start-date-host-ken-jennings-writers-strike-1235024275\/\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener\"  >Season 40<\/a> will premiere September 11, 2023, with returning contestants from the past few seasons. &#8220;I believe, principally that it would not be fair to have new contestants,\u201d <em>Jeopardy! <\/em>EP Michael Davies said on the <em><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLQIvcK9m8SP5_nVEOB-RDf1Of3fp3xViK\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"  data-type=\"URL\"  data-id=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLQIvcK9m8SP5_nVEOB-RDf1Of3fp3xViK\"  >Inside Jeopardy!<\/a><\/em> podcast in Aug. 2023. &#8220;We decided that we needed to invite back and give a second chance in general to players who probably thought that their chance to come back and play on the Alex Trebek stage had gone forever. So we\u2019re gonna open the season with a second chance tournament for players from Season 37 who lost their initial game, and winners from that will advance to a Season 37 and Season 38 Champions Wild Card.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-17\">Michael also revealed that the second place and third place prize amounts are increasing by $1,000 each for season 40. &#8220;The third place prize will move up to $2,000. The second place prize will move up to $3,000,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This is something that we\u2019ve been working on ever since I really took the reins of the show.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Mike Richards scandal<\/h2>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-18\"><em>Jeopardy!\u00a0<\/em>experienced a lot of drama in the summer of 2021 related to Mike&#8217;s job as host. Mike was an Executive Producer on the show when he was named permanent host in August 2021. However, he\u00a0<a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/2021\/08\/20\/mike-richards-quits-jeopardy-host-statement\/\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener\"  >announced he was stepping down<\/a> as <a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/2021\/08\/11\/jeopardy-new-hosts-mike-richards-mayim-bialik-replacing-alex-trebek\/\"  >the host<\/a> of the syndicated game show on Aug. 20 following intense backlash and the resurfacing of past controversies. The decision came only days after\u00a0<a  href=\"https:\/\/www.theringer.com\/tv\/2021\/8\/18\/22631299\/mike-richards-jeopardy-host-search-process-past-comments\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener nofollow\"  ><em>The Ringer<\/em><\/a> published a report that included controversial comments made by Mike on <em>The Randumb Show<\/em>podcast in 2013 and 2014. In one episode, he called his co-host and former assistant<strong> Beth Triffon<\/strong> a \u201cbooth ho\u201d and \u201cbooth slut.\u201d In a 2014 episode, Mike said one-piece swimsuits made women look \u201creally frumpy and overweight.\u201d After these comments surfaced, the podcast was taken down and he apologized in a statement.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4566331\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4566331\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4566331 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/mayim-bialik-jeopardy-mike-richards-embed3.jpg?w=620&#038;resize=620%2C349\" alt=\"Mike Richards\" width=\"620\" height=\"349\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4566331\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mike Richards (Photo: CBS\/NATAS\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-19\">Prior to the podcast scandal, <a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/2021\/08\/09\/jeopardy-mike-richards-responds-sexual-harrasment-lawsuits\/\"  >Mike had to address<\/a> past harassment and discrimination lawsuits during his time as an executive producer on <em>The Price Is Right<\/em>. In a statement to <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/jeopardy-host-frontrunner-mike-richards-price-is-right-lawsuits\/\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener nofollow\"  ><em>The Wrap<\/em><\/a>, Mike responded to former model <strong>Brandi Cochran\u2019s<\/strong> lawsuit. Brandi claimed producers allegedly harassed her after she revealed she was pregnant and was allegedly fired after her maternity leave.\u00a0\u201cI would not say anything to disrespect anyone\u2019s pregnancy and have always supported my colleagues on their parenting journeys,\u201d Mike said. \u201cDuring my tenure, our female cast members welcomed seven beautiful children. We embraced and celebrated each pregnancy and birth both in front of and behind the camera.\u201d Model<strong> Lanisha Cole<\/strong> alleged Mike and another producer spoke abusively towards her in a 2011 sexual harassment lawsuit. Mike was later dropped as a defendant in the lawsuit, and it was settled in 2013.<\/p>\n<h2>Past guest hosts<\/h2>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-20\">Once Alex&#8217;s final episode aired in January 2021, the show enlisted a star-studded lineup of guest hosts until season 38 premiered in September 2021. The guest hosts for the first three months included Mike, Mayim, Ken, journalist <a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/celeb\/katie-couric\/\"  ><strong>Katie Couric<\/strong><\/a>, talk show host\u00a0<strong>Dr. Mehmet Oz<\/strong>, <strong>Green Bay Packers<\/strong> quarterback <a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/celeb\/aaron-rodgers\/\"  ><strong>Aaron Rodgers<\/strong><\/a>,<em>\u00a0CNN<\/em> anchor\u00a0<a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/celeb\/anderson-cooper\/\"  ><strong>Anderson Cooper<\/strong><\/a>, and\u00a0<em>60 Minutes<\/em> correspondent\u00a0<strong>Bill Whitaker<\/strong>. Other hosts that followed included <em>Today<\/em>\u2018s <a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/celeb\/savannah-guthrie\/\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener\"  ><strong>Savannah Guthrie<\/strong><\/a>, neurosurgeon and <em>CNN<\/em> medical adviser <strong>Dr. Sanjay Gupta<\/strong>,<em> Star Trek,<\/em> and <em>Reading Rainbow<\/em> star <a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/feature\/who-is-levar-burton-4392378\/\"  ><strong>LeVar Burton<\/strong><\/a>, <em>Good Morning America<\/em> anchors <strong>George Stephanopoulos<\/strong> and <a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/feature\/robin-roberts-leaving-good-morning-america-gma-5074910\/\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener\"  ><strong>Robin Roberts<\/strong><\/a>, author and <em>CNBC<\/em> host <strong>David Faber<\/strong>, and sportscaster<strong> Joe Buck<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-21\">Alex did not name his ideal pick for a permanent host before he died. The legendary TV personality hosted the show from 1984 until his tragic passing of pancreatic cancer. He was 80 years old when he died.<\/p>\n<h2>Who Is The Permanent Host?<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4801019\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4801019\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4801019 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Jeopardy-Everything-To-Know-SS-embed-1.jpg?resize=620%2C350\" alt=\"Mayim Bialik; Ken Jennings\" width=\"620\" height=\"350\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4801019\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mayim Bialik; Ken Jennings (Photo: Mark Von Holden\/Invision\/AP\/Chris Pizzello\/Invision\/AP\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-22\">Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings were <a  href=\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/2022\/07\/27\/mayim-bialik-ken-jennings-permanent-jeopardy-hosts\/\"  target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"noopener\"  >named permanent hosts<\/a> of\u00a0<em>Jeopardy!\u00a0<\/em>on July 27, 2022. It was decided that Ken would host Season 39 from September 2022 until February 2023. He hosted the Second Chance competition and the Tournament of Champions. Mayim hosted <em>Celebrity Jeopardy!\u00a0<\/em>before she took over for Ken to host the flagship series starting in February 2023. She&#8217;s also been hosting new tournaments such as the National College Championship.<\/p>\n<p id=\"content-paragraph-23\">Mayim stepped away from\u00a0<em>Jeopardy!\u00a0<\/em>temporarily in the summer of 2023 in solidarity with the writers strike. She&#8217;s expected to return to the show whenever the strike ends. It&#8217;s unclear if Alex will follow Mayim&#8217;s lead and opt out of hosting season 40 if it premieres while the strike is still going.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8216;Jeopardy!&#8217; will return for season 40 with big changes due to the writers strike. Here&#8217;s everything you need to know.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":191609813,"featured_media":4801020,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exclude_post_from_river":false,"_cr_original_post":"","_cr_replace_post_id":"","_cr_replacing_post_id":"","mt_seo_title":"Who Is Hosting \u2018Jeopardy\u2019 This Week? Everything You Need To Know","mt_seo_description":"Find out who is hosting 'Jeopardy' this week and who the current champion is.","_pmc_canonical_override":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-07-05T14:04:37Z","apple_news_api_id":"82d14d33-9b8e-444e-a2af-454e28471bc4","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-08-08T15:31:41Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAJw==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AgtFNM5uORE6ir0VOKEcbxA","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"middle","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[378004978,462],"tags":[258644,182565,3146201],"_post-options":[378006328,378007568,378007567],"coauthors":[378007513,378007754],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Jeopardy-Everything-To-Know-SS-ftr.jpg?fit=620%2C350","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc8i1J-j9SL","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4566223"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/191609813"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4566223"}],"version-history":[{"count":48,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4566223\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5147611,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4566223\/revisions\/5147611"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4801020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4566223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4566223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4566223"},{"taxonomy":"_post-options","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_post-options?post=4566223"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=4566223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}