This… is…Jeopardy!For nearly 40 years, Alex Trebek was the face of one of America’s most iconic game shows. Filling those shoes after his 2020 death was never going to be an easy task. After rotating through several guest hosts, the show settled on two new faces in August 2021. Executive producer Mike Richards would host the syndicated show, whileThe Big Bang Theory’sMayim Bialikwould emcee primetime tournaments and specials.Richards lasted all of one dayas host, at which point he was replaced with the show’s winningest contestant, Ken Jennings.
Thus, Bialik would continue with primetime events while splitting duties on the syndicated show with Jennings. The hosting hand-off continued that way until this year. Bialik walked off the Jeopardy!set in May in solidarity with the striking writers, resulting in Jennings stepping in for the last few weeks of taping for Season 39. Both Season 40 and the second season ofCelebrity Jeopardy!commenced filming while the writers' strike was ongoing, resulting in Bialik remaining off the show. With Jennings now hosting both the syndicated and primetime shows, is there a place for Mayim Bialik? Though the WGA strike has resolved, there seems to be no word on her return. We’ll take “MIAGame Show Hostsfor $200, Alex.”
The First Guest Hosts
Alex Trebek died from pancreatic cancer on August 24, 2025, though episodes featuring him as host continued to air through January 2021. Rather than immediately pick a successor,Jeopardy!producers took their time and cycled through several guest hosts, including Ken Jennings, Mayim Bialik, Mike Richards, fan-favorite LeVar Burton, and even Aaron Rodgers for some reason.
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With Richards helming the daily show and Bialik behind primetime events, the show seemed set with two hosts going forward. That plan remained essentially the same when Jennings took over for the ousted Richards. The only change was that Bialik –who admitted her newfound love of hosting– and Jennings would now split emcee duties on the syndicated show. During Season 38, the first utilizing the two-host format, Jennings would host a few weeks, then Bialik, then Jennings for a month, Bialik for the next month, and so on. While each host has their fans and detractors, several expressed frustration at the continuously changing face behind the lectern. However, it seemed as though this arrangement wasn’t going anywhere, at least for the near future.
Season 39 and the First Primetime Specials
Season 39 continued the host switch-off, though less frequently. Jennings hosted September through April, with Bialik subbing in for a tournament in February. She was scheduled to finish the season from May through July but walked off the set when theWGA went on strike. Jennings returned to complete filming on the last few weeks of shows. He stayed behind the lectern when Season 40 began and is scheduled to continue through at least the end of this year.
In 2022, the first twoJeopardy!primetime special events aired.The National College Championshipran in February, andCelebrity Jeopardy!premiered in the fall, with Bialik hosting both of these iterations. In 2023, aJeopardy! Mastersprimetime tournament was announced, consisting of some of the show’s most iconic champions. Notably, Jennings hosted this series instead of Bialik. This could be because the show featured notableJeopardy!winners, and there’s no one more notable than Jennings. But this should have been our first clue that Bialik’s days may be numbered.
Will She Be Back?
With the WGA strike showing no signs of slowing down during the summer of 2023, ABC made the decision to replace Bialik with Jennings on the second season ofCelebrity Jeopardy!.With Jennings now helming both syndicated and primetime, what’s left for Bialik? The WGA strike has ended, and the clue writers have returned, so will she be back anytime soon?
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As they do, fans online have very strong host opinions. The majority prefer Jennings, citing his natural Trebek-like rapport with the contestants and connection to the game as its winningest player. That’s not to say Bialik doesn’t have her fans. As both a neuroscientist and accomplished TV personality, she has all the makings of aJeopardy!host. Jennings was also branded as a “scab” by some for crossing the picket lines to film during the WGA strike. Bialik appears to be aware of some of the negative reactions to her hosting, sharing advice she received from producers about how to be more camera-ready as well as her fear of ever competing on the show.
So, what’s the plan moving forward?Season 40 is currently runninga Champions Wildcard tournament through December, with Jennings emceeing it all. But what about beyond that? We could see Bialik return to the syndicated show early next year. Perhaps she could also step back intoCelebrity Jeopardy!if that returns next fall. Even though the WGA strike has ended,Jeopardy!typically films several months in advance. Even if Bialik was back on set, we may not see her episodes until early next year. Whatever the case, one has to admit it’s strange that she’s seemingly been quietly dropped from the show with no explanation. Will she return in the long run? Unlike theJeopardy!gameboard, we just don’t have the answers.
