Jeopardy!’s Ken Jennings Divides Viewers With Rare Correction

Jeopardy!'s new host Ken Jennings was criticized by viewers after he allowed a male contestant to correct his answer—but didn't do the same for a female. See how the contestants reacted here.

By Cydney Contreras Sep 16, 2022 2:51 PMTags
Watch: Jeopardy! Will Replace Alex Trebek With Two Hosts

Ken Jennings is going through some growing pains.

The new Jeopardy! host experienced his first big mistake while hosting the beloved trivia show Sept. 13.

It all went down when contestant Luigi de Guzman answered a question from the "Cons" category. A painting of a grassy field appeared on-screen with the prompt, "Here's a typical 19th-century landscape by this British painter."

Luigi was the quickest to react, hitting his buzzer and replying, "What is Constant?"

Ken asked him to "say it again," after which Luigi corrected himself, responding, "Sorry, who is Constable?"

However, later in the game, when contestant Harriet Wagner answered, "Who is Angela LeGuin—sorry, Ursula LeGuin," Ken did not accept her answer. His explanation? "Yes, Harriet, you remembered that her name was Ursula, but I had already begun ruling against you when you began correcting yourself."

photos
All of the Contenders Who Were in the Running to Become Jeopardy!'s New Host

Technically, the rules of Jeopardy!, which are listed on the show website, state "Contestants may change their responses as long as neither the host nor the judges have made a ruling." 

But Ken's decision to ask Luigi to repeat his answer has been criticized by social media users, with some accusing him of gender bias. "Wow, is @jeopardy fixed?" one person tweeted. "Why is Luigi allowed to correct himself, but Harriet isn't?"

Jeopardy Productions Inc.

Another added, "Anyone else watch @Jeopardy tonight and think Ken was egregiously inconsistent with his rulings on answers by Luigi and Harriet?"

Luigi has since addressed the backlash on Twitter, sharing that he thinks Ken could've handled the situation differently and apologized to Harriet. "If I had been in Ken's shoes, I probably would have cut Luigi off *brusquely* and moved on. But Ken hesitated, and in the moment, I saw him hesitate, and I kept talking," the champ tweeted. "The rule ended up on my side, but looking at it cold, I see how it could have ended up differently."

He continued, "If I'd have been Ken, I'd have either cut both of us off, or hesitated both times. But that wasn't the side of the stage I was on on the day, and it took a great deal of separation in time and space for me to watch it and see it."

NBC

Luigi went on to share that he and Harriet have discussed the outcome of the game and are on good terms. "I especially want to shout out @Harriett4332263's grace here," he said. "I've pinged her about this, and she has shown me the grace befitting a great litigator. That means a lot to me, and I really appreciate it."

As for Harriet, she came to Ken's defense, tweeting, "Leave Ken alone!!!! He's my main man ( except for my hubby) and has to work in real time the same as the contestants. He's doing a great job."

This was Ken's first week as the host of Jeopardy season 39, which he'll host through the end of the year. Then, come 2023, co-host Mayim Bialik will emcee Celebrity Jeopardy! and the Jeopardy! National College Championship.

Get the drama behind the scenes. Sign up for TV Scoop!