JEOPARDY! star Ken Jennings has snubbed late host Alex Trebek on what would have been his 82nd birthday.
Viewers were quick to beg the game show to honor the legendary star.
Jeopardy! star Ken Jennings snubbed late host Alex Trebek on what would have been his 82nd birthday[/caption]
The legendary TV star passed away in 2020[/caption]
On Friday’s episode, Ken came out as usual to introduce the players, including returning champion Emmie Trammell.
“On yesterday’s show, space camp veteran and amateurish astronomer named Emmie Trammell was trailing the leader practically throughout the whole game until Final Jeopardy when the stars arrived…” Ken explained to viewers before proceeding to reveal the Jeopardy! categories.
Later on in the episode, after Emmie fell to new champ Karla Fossett, there was no mention of Alex at all as the show wrapped up.
However, fans were quick to call out the program on social media as one wrote: “… Please honor Mr. Trebek’s memory and pay him the tribute he so richly deserves…”
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Another harshly said: “Ken Jennings is a joke!” while one chimed in, “I still miss Alex so much.”
The show’s official Twitter did tweet about Alex as they wrote: “Happy 82nd birthday to the man who showed us the power of knowledge.
“Celebrate Alex’s incredible legacy by learning about the recently-opened Trebek Center at Hope of the Valley, an organization near and dear to his heart.”
New champ Karla also tweeted: “Humbled and honored when I realized that my episode of Jeopardy! is airing on Alex Trebek’s birthday.”
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Alex fronted the ABC series for over 30 years before he passed away on November 8, 2020.
In March 2019, the TV icon was notified he had Stage IV pancreatic cancer with a tumor that spread to the soft lining of his stomach when he went in for a CT scan at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles.
“There comes a time where you have to make a decision as to whether you want to continue with such a low quality of life, or whether you want to just ease yourself into the next level. It doesn’t bother me in the least,” Alex told the New York Times before passing.
KEN OR MAYIM?
Following his death, the game show tried out many different guest hosts before landing on Ken and Mayim Bialik.
Ken, 48, has received mixed reviews since returning from hiatus on July 18th.
He had previously announced he would be out for “months,” leading Mayim, 46, to take over- however, she also received plenty of backlash from some viewers.
Since his return, fans have ripped the former champ for “failing to enforce rules” and were even shocked when he made a NSFW joke on the air.
However, Ken has witnessed a rare tiebreaker upon returning behind the podium.
Meanwhile, fans have continued to wait on who will finally be named the permanent host of Jeopardy! as some believe it will be Ken- with fans collecting “clues” that may prove this.
For one, Ken sent his fans into meltdown when he bowed out of the new season of The Chase.
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Ken also accepted a 2022 Daytime Emmy award in June alone without Mayim, who also wasn’t in its montage.
The show has yet to reveal who will be taking over for Alex on a permanent basis.
Ken- a former champ- has taken over hosting duties[/caption]
However, he’s sharin hosting duties with Mayim Bialik[/caption]
Both stars have received mixed reviews[/caption]
