Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings was forced to apologize to a female contestant on Monday night after reading a clue that he admitted was “problematic.” Fans have since responded by slamming the clue as being “sexist.”
Jennings’ ‘Problematic’ Debacle
In the “Complete the Rhyming Phrase” category on the October 28th episode, Jennings read the clue, “Men seldom make passes at…” The answer: “Girls who wear glasses.”
Afterwards, Jennings acknowledged that the clue was “a little problematic” to say. He then apologized to a contestant, health program director Heather Ryan, who was wearing glasses.
“Sorry, Heather,” he said.
“Very,” another contestant named Will Wallace chimed in to add.
Ryan later lost the game by just $1.
Check out the uncomfortable moment in the video below.
Fans Fire Back
Fans have since taken to social media to rip into Jennings for the clue.
“‘Yeah, a little problematic’ – Ken… Um, then why didn’t you bring that up to the writers before the game?” one fan wrote. Another added, “More like extremely problematic!”
“Frankly, I don’t need to hear Ken read an obviously outdated and inappropriate clue and then call it ‘problematic,'” a third fan commented. “Maybe he can use his position to get it switched out before it goes out over the air.”
“Still angry about this,” a fourth person commented. “She’s used her intelligence to get on here, only to be insulted by a sexist and rude comment.”
Related: Ken Jennings Slammed By ‘Jeopardy!’ Fans For ‘Robbing’ Contestant After Messy Answer
Jennings’ Uncertain Future On Jeopardy!
This could not have come at a worse time for Jennings, whose future on Jeopardy! is currently uncertain.
Earlier in October, sources told The Mirror that Jeopardy! producers are no longer sure if they want to keep Jennings on as the host of the game show.
Executives have reportedly noticed that ratings on Wheel of Fortune have spiked in the weeks since Ryan Seacrest took over as host from Pat Sajak. This has led them to become curious as to whether they could make the same thing happen with Jeopardy!
Jennings is vulnerable to being fired at all times. This is because he does not have a long-term contract for the $4 million hosting gig on Jeopardy!
“Of course Ken wants to do this for the next twenty years, but he’s going to have to get comfortable with only being renewed one or two years at a time for the foreseeable future,” another source previously explained. “Sony is keeping him in the hosting job but they are also keeping their options open.”
Full Story: Ken Jennings Reportedly ‘At Risk’ Of Being Fired From ‘Jeopardy!’ Over Ratings
Jennings Gets Bad News
Over the summer, Jennings got some bad news when executives tapped the Saturday Night Live! star Colin Jost to host the upcoming Pop Culture Jeopardy! One insider acknowledged that this move “really looks like a massive no-confidence vote in Ken by tapping Colin Jost [for Pop Culture Jeopardy!]”
“Yes, if they truly had 100% confidence in Ken, they would tap him for their primetime and celebrity editions, which they have decidedly not done,” this source said. “It is what it is. Ken can’t really affect things except by being consistent on the nightly show and making sure the ratings don’t slide too badly.”
Jennings’ “sexist” incident on Monday certainly won’t help his chances of staying on Jeopardy! Only time will tell how this turns out for him!
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