Monday night’s episode of Jeopardy! ended with fans getting furious at show host Ken Jennings’ conduct during the Complete the Rhyming Phrase category. Although he immediately recognized and acknowledged the sexist clue, he could not take it back as the female contestant was visibly offended.
A fan argued on Reddit that Ken could have used his position to request that part of the clip be taken out. This incident follows a recent backlash over another female contestant, who lost to a University sophomore with the same but illegible answer.
What was Ken Jennings’ sexist clue?
Contestant Heather Ryan got uncomfortable as Ken read out the problematic clue inspired by acclaimed poet Dorothy Parker. A bespectacled Ryan looked on as Ken said, “Men seldom make passes at…,” to which returning champion Will Wallace responded, “Girls who wear glasses.”
Ken immediately noticed the awkwardness and apologized to Ryan for the problematic moment. Wallace immediately agreed, and fans were already passing remarks about the offensive clue online. “More like extremely problematic!” another corrected Ken.
Fans react to the problematic clue
A Reddit user insinuated that the moment made it to the final edit on purpose as Ken could have asked that it be cut out. Another agreed, saying the show host could have brought the sexist nature of the clue up with the writer before the game. “Is it just a coincidence that this type of question that degrades women is coming up when a woman is running for president?” a third person protested.
A viewer admitted to being angry because Ryan must have gotten to the stage due to her intelligence, only to be embarrassed by a rude clue. The episode ended with contestant Ian Taylor, a food sales rep from Cleveland, Ohio, winning with a one-day total of $19,601, while Ryan followed closely, only $1 short.