Additional Coverage:
- ‘Jeopardy’ viewers couldn’t believe Ken Jennings using a brutal 2-word remark about a contestant (marketrealist.com)
“Jeopardy!” Host Ken Jennings recently landed in hot water with viewers after making a barbed comment to a contestant.
During the show’s anecdote segment, contestant Lily St. Laurent recounted an embarrassing spelling bee mishap from her youth.
St. Laurent explained how, despite not feeling up to the task, she participated in a national spelling bee where she ultimately cost her team the win by misspelling the word “dairy.”
Jennings’ response surprised many. He quipped that St. Laurent’s story was “good for people who like to see a snotty teen get some comeuppance,” before adding a somewhat perfunctory apology.
Fans on social media were quick to criticize the host’s remark. One viewer tweeted, “Me thinks Ken could improve his diplomatic small talk,” while another simply asked, “Did Kennings just call Lily a snotty teen?”
Despite the awkward exchange, St. Laurent finished the game in third place.
This incident follows a recent episode where Jennings apologized to a female contestant for a clue some viewers deemed sexist. Jennings took over hosting duties on “Jeopardy!”
in December 2023, following the passing of longtime host Alex Trebek.