Amid writers strike, ‘Jeopardy!’ gets a hosting change-up
Although “Jeopardy!” host Mayim Bialik returned to the screen May 1 and was scheduled to host the quiz show through the remainder of Season 39, viewers will see a different host starting July 3.
Amid the Writers Guild of America strike, Bialik opted to step down during the final week of filming, the Deseret News previously reported. Ken Jennings took over and filmed the final 20 episodes of the season, which begin July 3, according to The Jeopardy Fan website.
The clues for the “Jeopardy!” games were written in advance of the season and strike, according to Deadline.
“Our last week of shows was already locked,” Jennings recently told the Deseret News, noting that “Jeopardy!” typically goes on hiatus in May. “We could be above board and just shoot the last week of scripts that had already been written.”
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What Ken Jennings said about the writers’ strike
“Jeopardy!” was one of the first game shows affected by the writers strike, Deadline reported.
The strike — representing more than 11,000 writers in the entertainment industry — began on May 2 and is seeking higher pay and job security amid the rise of artificial intelligence.
“The unions are demanding pay increases, as well as minimums on the number of writers on a show and minimums for the number of weeks writers are employed per contract, and have also expressed concerns that writers could be replaced by artificial intelligence,” Forbes reported.
In a recent interview with the Deseret News, Jennings praised the “Jeopardy!” writers, who he said work diligently to make sure the many clues they write — there are 61 clues per game — are foolproof.
“You would not believe the work our amazing writers do, and they’re Emmy Award winning,” Jennings said. “We cannot wait for the strike to be resolved so we can get our writers back. We’re just hoping the writers get the fair deal they deserve (and) we can get back in time to the fall.”
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A few months after moving from researcher to staff writer on the set of “Jeopardy!” Marcus Brown now finds himself on the picket line.
“It’s sort of tough not being at work after being on the show for so many years, and kind of getting used to this new job,” Brown said in a recent interview shared on WGAcontract2023.org. “But I think we’re out here for the right reasons, and I think it’s especially important for younger writers like me to be out here. For us, this is about the streaming residuals and also for the people who are dealing with mini-rooms.”
Two months into the strike, “scripted TV production in Los Angeles has virtually ground to a halt, underscoring the economic fallout from the ongoing labor standoff,” The Los Angeles Times reported.
Writers strikes have historically lasted around or over 100 days. A WGA strike in 1988 lasted 153 days, while the 2007 writers guild strike lasted 100 days and went into 2008, the Deseret News reported.
