“THIS CAN’T BE TRUE!” — Jeopardy! fans screamed in unison upon hearing the news. The audience was breathless. As soon as Ken Jennings appeared and gave the latest update on hosting the show, social media exploded like a time bomb. Thousands of fans shared that they “couldn’t believe what they were hearing,” with some even confessing that their hearts were broken. One viewer wrote: “If this is real… Jeopardy! will never be the same again.” Within minutes, the entire community was in chaos — and all eyes were on Ken.

Ken Jennings is saying goodbye to one of his favorite work projects.

Fans of the Jeopardy! host may not be aware, but since December 2017, he’s also been the face of another project. He’s co-host, with John Roderick, of the Omnibus podcast, a show focusing on discussion of niche cultural trends or unique stories folks haven’t necessarily heard yet. Clearly the venture has proven to be successful, as listeners continue to tune in whenever new installments are uploaded online.

But in a surprise announcement from Ken on Instagram, he revealed he’s stepping down as a co-host of the Omnibus podcast. Despite being sad about the unforeseen circumstance, Ken did share how he’s planning on celebrating his final episode when it airs in mid-November 2025.

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“I’m so proud of the eight years @johnroderick and I spent unearthing weird oddities of the past on our podcast OMNIBUS,” he wrote in an emotional caption on October 20. “But my travel schedule is making it harder and harder to keep up with the show, so we’re bringing in a cavalcade of guest hosts to help out. But my final show as a weekly co-host is going to be a big live extravaganza in Seattle on November 8! Music! Surprises! Many goods and cheese! Consult @townhall_seattle for ticket details. If providence allows, we’ll see you there.”

When fans learned of Ken’s unexpected career move, they expressed how bummed they were to not hear him anymore on Omnibus.

“Live your passion! You were an exceptional host. May you have joy and much success!” one person wrote in the comments. “Heartbroken but happy for you ❤️,” another penned. “A true end of an era 😭,” a different follower added.

Despite the sadness over Ken’s career news, fans shouldn’t worry just yet. The host will still appear on Jeopardy! and other shows from the franchise (like Celebrity Jeopardy!)—meaning we’ll still get our own dose of him whenever we can.

ABC

We wish Ken all the best on the next phase in his entertainment journey!