Ken Jennings found himself in an uncomfortable situation over a “problematic” statement made on Jeopardy!
The awkward moment took place during the category “Complete the Rhyming Phrase” on a Monday, October 28 episode of the long-running game show.
The 50-year-old talk show presented the phrase, “Men seldom make passes at…” to the contestants, leading returning champion Will Wallace to answer correctly with, “Girls who wear glasses.”
During Monday’s Jeopardy! episode, Ken Jennings stumbled into controversy with a “problematic” phrase in the “Complete the Rhyming Phrase” category
Image credits: Jeopardy!
Image credits: Jeopardy!
But the iconic Dorothy Parker line didn’t sit well with some, as Heather Ryan, a fellow contestant onstage, happened to be wearing glasses herself.
Ken quickly sensed the awkwardness and apologized to her on-air, saying, “A little problematic, sorry, Heather.”
Will chimed in, agreeing with a simple, “Very.”
The phrase, “Men seldom make passes at…,” was correctly completed by contestant Will Wallace with “girls who wear glasses,” but it made for an uncomfortable moment
Image credits: Jeopardy!
Image credits: Jeopardy!
Heather, a health program director from Binghamton, New York, stayed silent, but the exchange set off a reaction on social media that lingered long after the episode wrapped.
Many viewers turned to X (formerly known as Twitter) to call out Ken and the show’s writers, questioning why such an outdated phrase was included in the first place.
“She’s used her intelligence to get on here, only to be insulted by a sexist and rude comment,” a social media user said
“More like extremely problematic! #girlswithglasses,” one wrote, while another said, “‘Yeah, a little problematic’ — Ken Um, then why didn’t you bring that up to the writers before the game?”
“Still angry about this. She’s used her intelligence to get on here, only to be insulted by a sexist and rude comment,” another wrote.
Ken, a former Jeopardy! champion, became the sole host of the long-running game show after co-host Mayim Bialik’s exit
The episode also sparked a heated discussion on Reddit, with one user saying, “Frankly, I don’t need to hear Ken read an obviously outdated and inappropriate clue and then call it ‘problematic.’ Maybe he can use his position to get it switched out before it goes out over the air.”
Ken and Mayim Bialik were announced as co-hosts for the show in July 2022. However, the Big Bang Theory actress eventually exited, leaving Ken the show’s sole host, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in March of this year.
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