Next week, Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings returns to the show, this time as the first guest host following Alex Trebek‘s death. But will his gig become permanent? It’s complicated.
Days after the iconic star died of pancreatic cancer in November, producers announced that the game show will resume taping with a series of interim guest hosts, beginning with Jennings, who won 74 Jeopardy! consecutive games in 2004, receiving the title of the show’s “Greatest of All Time” in 2020.
Just before Trebek’s final episode aired on Friday, Jan. 8, E! News learned that Jennings has taped six weeks worth of shows, which will start airing on Monday, Jan. 11, and that other guest hosts are still expected to take the helm following Jennings, although no names or dates have been announced.
Meanwhile, the situation remains “fluid,” multiple sources say. One insider told E! News that the search for a permanent host continues, that the chosen person will not be named before the spring, and that “while Ken is a very capable host, there are concerns that he may not be the right personality to be the face of the long-running show.” E! News has reached out to reps for Jeopardy!, who have not commented.
Last year, after he was named the first interim guest host of Jeopardy!, Jennings, 46, drew controversy over resurfaced offensive tweets. Jeopardy! producers have not commented on them. But on Dec. 30, the champ responded to the backlash and issued an apology on Twitter.