Five Years After Alex Trebek’s Passing, ‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Are Still Deeply Divided Over Ken Jennings — Can He Ever Truly Live Up to the Legacy of a Television Icon or Will the Debate Continue?

Alex Trebek was more than just the face of Jeopardy! — he was a TV icon. His 2022 death from pancreatic cancer devastated all of those around the world who loved the beloved host and watched him every night.

After Trebek’s death, another Jeopardy! icon — Ken Jennings — took the reins as the show’s permanent host in 2024, two decades after his historic run on the game show, during which he won a mind-blowing 74 games in a row.

Now that Jennings has settled in as host, one Redditor posed the question that has been on everyone’s mind since Jennings filled Trebek’s shoes: What the consensus on Jennings vs. Trebek?

“I’m a younger Jeopardy! viewer and never got to watch Alex Trebek host live. But I’ve watched a lot of older clips on YouTube and have grown to appreciate who he was and what he meant to the show,” the OP (original poster) recently wrote in the Jeopardy! subreddit.

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“That said, I absolutely love Ken Jennings as host. I can’t imagine anyone better right now,” they continued, pointing out that he is “witty, dynamic, and genuinely engaging … [striking] the perfect balance between being sharp and letting the game shine.”

“I’m curious: do longtime Jeopardy! fans feel the same way?” they asked, posing the question. “Are most people used to Ken as the face of the show now (with all due respect to Trebek, of course)?”

The fan responses were unanimous.

“I will always love Alex. But Ken Jennings was made for this & could not be a more perfect successor,” one person replied.

In response, another user wrote: “And it’s also because his respect and love for Alex and the history of the show shine through. It gives viewers the space to continue missing Alex while enjoying Ken.”

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Chimed in a third Redditor: “I think that’s the way all us old ass Jeopardy fans feel. Alex was great. Ken is doing a great job and I like him a lot.”

“Ken is absurdly good at hosting Jeopardy. Alex was a legend, but he was a professional. This is what he worked his way up in the business to do,” a fourth person posited. “Ken is a computer programmer who just happens to be amazing at being a game show host.”