KEN’S COMEBACK TO SAVE JEOPARDY!
Ex-host is cure for sick ratings & Bialik blues
RATINGS for Jeopardy! are plummeting with Mayim Bialik hosting solo — and bosses are prepared to write Ken Jennings a blank check if he’ll come back and save the show, sources squeal.
With only Mayim, 46, minding the podium, the TV quiz game has dipped below 5 million viewers for the first time in months — and sources snitch that’s good news for Jennings!
“The terrible ratings have put Ken in a position of power and he’s playing a genius hand,” spills an insider. “Even if Mayim gets the job fulltime, they’ve made it clear they want Ken back in some capacity. They’re throwing all kinds of money and perks at him — but Ken’s playing hard to get!
“He can’t forget the way they treated him right after Alex Trebek died.” When beloved Jeopardy! mainstay Trebek succumbed to pancreatic cancer on Nov. 8, 2020, at age 80, producers trotted out numerous guest hosts, including Jennings, 48.
“The way Ken sees it, they were lucky to get him, and producers didn’t support him enough,” tattles a source. “There were complaints he was too awkward — but clearly fans prefer him to menacing Mayim! Ken’s telling friends he’ll consider an offer to return at least parttime but he also wants an apology!”
As GLOBE readers know, Jennings dropped a bombshell in May when he suddenly announced he was going on hiatus. “Ken’s got to be feeling pretty good right now,” dishes an insider. “He must know he’s got it made!”