Ken Jennings dubbed 'bratty little brother' at Jeopardy! but 'focus' is on host (2024)

KEN Jennings is working to overcome a "bratty little brother" reputation among Jeopardy!'s famously low-turnover staff, a studio insider has told The U.S. Sun.

Ken, 50, becameJeopardy!'s sole permanent host after actressMayim Bialikwas dismissed in December.

The Greatest of All Time contestant who won a record 74 straight games is nicely settling into his job as the syndicated show's sole host.

Ken, who just wrapped his first season as the only face of the nightly show, is looking to channelAlex Trebekand host for decades to come.

But since the game show's insular staff of writers and judges has already been at Jeopardy! for decades, he still has a studio reputation as the new guy.

"Ken has a lot of fans on the staff because a good number of the crew members who saw his rise to game show fame 20 years ago on the show are still in those jobs," the Sony insider shared.

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"They've all grown old together, and he may have a 'bratty little brother' vibe to him sometimes, but Ken is still an important part of the family."

"It remains to be seen if he can evolve into the father figure and leader that Alex was for almost his entire run," they continued.

'DON'T KILL THE GOLDEN GOOSE'

The source said the staff's goal is to maintain Jeopardy!'s pristine status as the GOAT American quiz show.

And now, that largely hinges on how Ken does as its next potential longtime host.

"Right now the focus for everybody, but especially Ken, is: 'Don't kill the golden goose.'

"Everybody working on the show right now wants it to keep going for another 20 years, ideally with Ken in the hosting seat," they said.

"The crew, like the audience, values consistency in the ratings and in the production."

Thankfully, Jeopardy! ratings have held steady with Ken in the driver's seat, and fans have embraced the host; most think he does a great job.

NOT 'TAKING THE BAIT'

One sign that Ken is taking his sole host role more seriously is he has mostly stopped posting on his once-controversial Twitter account.

His resurfaced "wheelchair" tweet, among others, got him in trouble when the host search began in 2021 and nearly cost him the gig.

Even when Ken was co-hosting with Mayim, he regularly got into Twitter arguments with fans when they accused him of mistakes.

Fans were astonished that the host couldn't resist his Twitter fingers even as he hosted the beloved, gather-around-the-living-room quiz show.

In 2023, Ken replied to a disgruntled fan by making a joke about the fan's wife in a wild since-deleted post.

The fan said he and his wife preferred Buzzy Cohen as host, and Ken replied, "Maybe Buzzy can come over to your house and attend to your wife?"

In another 2023 post, Ken replied to a fan over an on-air pronunciation disagreement: "You guys lost the war & now the North writes the dictionaries."

It remains to be seen if he can evolve into the father figure and leader that Alex [Trebek] was for almost his entire run.

Inside source

Since Mayim was let go, Ken has polished his social media presence and only posts to the platform once a month.

The U.S. Sun source said this is a clear sign of Ken's improvement arc and how seriously he takes his job.

Focused on channeling Alex's impartiality, he's no longer "taking the bait" of social media.

"The problem is that's [Twitter/X] the first place angry fans are going to go to complain about something they see on an episode.

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"Ken has gotten a lot better at not taking the bait and getting into online fights, that's for sure," the source said.

Jeopardy!'s 41st season with Ken as host premieres on September 9, 2024.