Katie Couric, Mayim Bialik tapped as ‘Jeopardy!’ guest hosts Screen Actors Guild moves awards air date to avoid conflict with Grammys IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Katie Couric, Mayim Bialik, Aaron Rodgers and journalist Bill Whitaker are among the future guest hosts who will fill in for the late Alex Trebek on “Jeopardy!”
The show announced Wednesday that Couric, the journalist and former “Today” show host, will become the first woman ever to host the show.
Trebek, the face of the show for 36 years, died from pancreatic cancer Nov. 8, and the final shows he recorded aired last week. The show has opted to use a series of interim guest hosts rather than immediately find permanent replacements.
Ken Jennings, considered the show’s greatest champion, is currently serving as the first guest host. Once his run is done, executive producer Mike Richards will fill in for two weeks while the newly announced guests prepare for their stints.
Rodgers, the superstar quarterback currently leading the Green Bay Packers through the NFL playoffs, is a former “Celebrity Jeopardy!” champion, and Bialik, former star of CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” and current star of Fox’s “Call Me Kat,” is a neuroscientist, making them fitting choices to serve up clues for contestants for the brainy quiz show.
Whitaker, a “60 Minutes” correspondent, will also be a guest host.
The show will make a donation to the guest hosts’ charity of choice that matches the total dollar amount won by contestants during their run.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards will not share the same air date as the Grammys after all.
The SAG Awards announced Wednesday that the 27th annual ceremony has been moved to April 4.
Both awards events were scheduled to air March 14, but the SAG Awards shifted to a different date to avoid conflict with the Grammys.
The SAG Awards will air on TNT and TBS at 9 p.m. EST. The show honors outstanding film and television performances.
The Grammys had switched from Jan. 31 to March 14 due because of the recent surge in coronavirus cases and deaths. Other award shows including the Oscars and Golden Globes have pushed their ceremonies back as well.
“Throughout these challenging times, our industry and our union members have proven their creativity and resilience in discovering new methods of storytelling while adapting to new safety protocols and procedures,” the SAG Awards organizers’ statement said.
The statement added: “We embrace that spirit as we re-imagine the SAG Awards with a one-hour special that highlights and expands on our signature I am an Actor opening and honors the outstanding performances of the past year.”
The SAG Awards will hold nominations on Feb. 4.