Ken Jennings Says He Never Thought Himself ‘Worthy’ To Step Into Alex Trebek’s Shoes

Following the unfortunate passing of the legendary host Alex Trebek in November 2020, Ken Jennings assumed the co-hosting duties on the long-standing game show along with Mayim Bialik on a rotational basis. However, despite the perfect delivery of his duties as a co-host, the 49-year-old revealed in a recent interview with Deseret News that he was lucky to have clinched the job back then despite not having hosting experience.

“If I were hiring for that job, I would go with a sturdy broadcaster with decades of experience, not just somebody who happened to be good at the show many years ago,” Jennings told the news outlet. “But luckily they took a chance on me.”

Ken Jennings says his wife supported him at the initial stage as ‘Jeopardy!’ host

Jennings revealed that landing the hosting job had always been his dream, but he thought it was an unachievable task. “I kind of have to pinch myself every day. I do not take it for granted,” he noted. “I was 100% confident I would not get a shot at the job — because that would be insane.”

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He also shared details about how his wife, Mindy, supported and help him gain the confidence he needed to step into the shoes of the late Alex Trebek. “She’s always been like a real reassuring presence for me,” Jennings told Deseret News. “Like the first day I was filling in for Alex, I called home, and she said, ‘Well, how did it go?’ And I said, ‘Well, let me put it this way: I am not Alex Trebek up there.’ And she said, ‘Well, you know what? Maybe on his first day, he wasn’t either.’ And I really needed to hear that right then.”

The host says he is done competing on ‘Jeopardy!’

While he is fully occupied with hosting responsibilities, Jennings does not anticipate competing again in the foreseeable future. In a lighthearted manner, he jokingly expressed his fears about returning to the show’s stage due to his friendly rivalry with fellow Jeopardy! champion, James Holzhauer, whom he contested against on the Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament in 2020.

“Let me be very clear and on the record here: It’s because I’m terrified of playing James because I think he would win,” Jennings told the outlet. “I’m very happy to be retired from ‘Jeopardy!’ because I think I got away with one in the GOAT tournament. And I think there’s a very good chance that he would just wipe the floor with me if we had to play again. So I feel very lucky to be retired — ain’t gonna be no rematch.”