Ryan Seacrest‘s remarkable ratings on Wheel of Fortune could mean the end of Ken Jennings‘ time on television. Sources exclusively tell Closer people are taking bets on how long the Jeopardy! host has got left in the gig and who’s going to come in and replace him.
“Ryan’s looking like the game-show golden boy right now, despite a bumpy first week, and all Ken can do is hope for a miracle to turn the tide in his favor,” says a source.
Despite mixed fan reactons to Wheel of Fortune‘s new changes, the 49-year-old host has already brought viewership up.
During Ryan’s debut week, Wheel of Fortune saw its largest premiere week audience in five years, per Nielsen. The premiere week averaged 8.31 million viewers, and the game show cemented itself as the No. 1 show in syndication. Week 1 earned the long-running program a 4.88 household rating.
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Meanwhile, over at Jeopardy!, the 50-year-old contestant-turned-host has recently come under fire for his many gaffes on the game show, including mistakes on clues and inconsistent rulings.
Ken has even been accused of letting his favorite contestants have greater leeway with their answers.
“Surely, it’s just a matter of time [until] when Ken gets the boot,” the source says. “Ken doesn’t have any stability or a long-term contract, so the higher-ups could fire him at any time. Bosses over at Jeopardy! must be panicking by now, and word is they’re brainstorming names to replace Ken.”
A new successful host over at Jeopardy! would “put a dent in Ryan’s overwhelming success,” the source points out, “not to mention his inflated ego.”
Regardless, the insider adds, “It doesn’t look good for Ken, who’s already under so much pressure.”
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Because Ken has been getting slammed online left and right for being awkward and unfunny, he’s working on fixing the problem with a comedy coach, a separate source told Closer in August.
“How to be genuinely funny is one of the things that hinders him,” the insider said. “People on the show know it, [and] Ken knows it deep down. He’s an awkward character and can’t make people laugh unlike his contemporaries, Steve Harvey and Drew Carey, and it bothers him. His delivery and timing have got to be improved if he’s to win over audiences.”
Ken first assumed hosting duties after the death of TV staple Alex Trebek in November 2020. Up until the spring of 2023, he split the role with Mayim Bialik, but once she departed the show and he became the sole host in season 40, it all appeared to go downhill.
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While Ken has faced some tough criticism from Jeopardy! fans, he seems willing to do just about anything to make it work.
“He’s only got four days of shooting a month, so he has the downtime. He wants to hone his craft and be funny,” the source added. “He needs to focus on his comedic skills now, get some lessons and have people come on over to help him [and] give him some pointers. He wants to nail this thing, and bosses are backing him.”
