Ken Jennings opened up about what it has been like to host “Jeopardy!” in the late Alex Trebek’s absence during an interview with Seattle Refined published Thursday.
“It’s really nerve-wracking,” Jennings told the outlet. “I’m like everybody else, I wish it was still Alex out there. But the main thing I noticed is what an amazing job he did, he made it always look so effortless and graceful.”
“It’s been really rough missing him and also just missing ‘Jeopardy!’ with him,” Jennings said. “I think that’s what we’re grieving, the fact that he would be part of our lives, that we could have Alex hosting ‘Jeopardy!’ every evening.”
Ken Jennings to step in as ‘interim guest host’ when ‘Jeopardy!’ resumes production https://t.co/t22Kbm1hnL
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) November 24, 2020
Jennings is among a handful of prominent names who will be guest hosting “Jeopardy!” until a replacement for Trebek is chosen. (RELATED: Here’s The Full Line Up Of Guest Hosts For ‘Jeopardy!’)
“I kind of wanted to open the show that way and just say, ‘Look, you can’t replace a great like Alex Trebek. We want ‘Jeopardy!’ to continue. It won’t be the same, but it will still be ‘Jeopardy!'” Jennings continued.
Honestly, Jennings better be nervous about this gig. It’s the biggest blessing to ever happen to him career-wise in his life. This is a try-out and all eyes are on him to do well. Otherwise, he won’t be around the “Jeopardy!” franchise for much longer.