Ken Jennings is bouncing back from a rough few months, as his Jeopardy! ratings are finally trending in the right direction, and a source exclusively tells Closer the former champ is looking to build on the momentum and give network golden boy and Wheel of Fortune host Ryan Seacrest a run for his money.
“It’s been a very rough ride, but the ratings are up and it’s the boost he needed to raise his morale, which had taken a dip, understandably,” the insider explains. “Ken is very clear that he’s in this for the long haul. He’s not going to just give up the moment ratings aren’t sky high.”
Following longtime host Alex Trabek’s tragic death in November 2020, network execs began the arduous process of finding a new star to fill the shoes of the late television icon, who many considered to be not just the face of the show, but its heart, too. They ended up drafting two hosts: Ken, 50, who formerly worked as a computer programmer before his 74-game winning streak earned him $2,522,700 in 2004, and The Big Bang Theory alum and neuroscientist Mayim Bialik.
Unsurprisingly, there was plenty of tension and pettiness between the cohosts, as Closer previously reported. But after some rough going in the beginning, Sony Pictures Television announced in December 2023 that the game show wiz would become the sole host moving forward, while showing Mayim, 49, the way to the door. Considering his impressive performance on the show, subsequent fan adoration and his hosting style, which has improved dramatically with time, bosses are still banking on Ken to drive up Jeopardy! numbers despite the recent slip.
The source notes that the host is on the same page and he “accepts that there are going to be good weeks and bad weeks, but ultimately, he does have faith that the audience will keep tuning in.”
With superhost Ryan, 50, carrying Wheel of Fortune to new heights, many feared for Ken’s career as his ratings began to slide in relation last year. “The pressure is obviously on Ken, as the face of the franchise, and also on everybody else around him, to up their game and try and turn things around,” a second source previously told Closer in April. Though even when he was at his lowest, he wouldn’t admit defeat. “He’s telling people that it’s just a phase, that there are always highs and lows, and they’ll get through it.”
Since then, the embattled Jeopardy! host has seen his fortunes change and the first source notes it’s renewed his faith in himself. “He was pretty down in the dumps a couple of weeks ago, but now that the ratings have improved so has his mood and confidence.”
“He’s now bragging that Ryan better watch out, because he’s gunning to be back in the top spot. Ken has respect for Ryan, but he still wants to beat him and now that he’s feeling himself again, he’s talking a big game about how he’s going to take the top spot.”