Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings makes extremely dark joke as a contestant that fans ‘can’t believe wasn’t cut’ in old video

KEN Jennings is going viral for a very unexpected joke he made as a Jeopardy! contestant, and it’s not the infamous hoe/rake answer.

The clip from Ken’s historic 74-day run in 2004 was posted by an X user who didn’t even realize that he is now the game show’s host.

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Ken, 50, was in the midst of his record-setting winning streak on the very show he now hosts.

Apparently, he was as snarky then as he is now since he’s taken over for the late Alex Trebek for good.

In the clip , a youthful Ken can be seen in the lead during one of his Jeopardy! games.

He landed on a Daily Double in the “Businessmen” category.

He only wagered $1000, explaining to the late, great host Alex, “I’m not really crazy about the category.”

Alex wryly said, “You don’t really like businessmen?”

“I hate them all,” Ken replied.

“Come revelation, we’re gonna string ‘em up.”

“Woah! Hello!” Alex could be heard replying, clearly taken aback.

‘KING’

The X user shared the clip and captioned it, “My king. Wonder how he’s doing.”

The clip, shared over the weekend, has since been viewed 2 million times and scored 50,000 likes.

“What do you mean ‘I wonder how he’s doing,’ he’s the HOST,” one fan replied.

“Great, considering they still handed the show over to him, lmao,” wrote another.

“Can’t believe they didn’t cut this out, lmao,” wrote a third.

“He was so real for this,” wrote a fourth.

“So glad he ended being the new host,” wrote a fifth.

The user shared another chestnut from Ken’s run, in which he joked while selecting a clue, “My dad’s a lawyer, so let’s take bloodsuckers for 400, please.”

This response once more scored a giant “Woah!” from Alex.

Before becoming host, Ken’s run brought him the still-standing record for longest run ever and most regular-play earnings with $2.3 million.

His rowdy moments may be getting fresh eyes, as his entire run is streaming for free on PlutoTV.

MAYIM JOKE?

Meanwhile, Ken is holding court for quite an impressive run in the present day.

Contestant Adriana Harmeyer has won nine games and $202,000 as of Monday, June 10.

During Adriana’s run, he turned heads by seemingly making a reference to his fired co-host Mayim Bialik.

During her seventh win, Adriana pulled off a runaway into Final Jeopardy with $18,800, while challengers Shira had $8,900 and Benjamin $8,000.

The “U.S. HISTORY,” clue read “Challenged in a courtroom that same year, 1925’s Butler Act in Tennessee outlawed this activity and wasn’t repealed until 1967.”

While Adriana was correct with “The teaching of evolution” while Shira was incorrect with “What is drinking alcohol?”

Ken ruled Shira incorrect in a way he doesn’t usually do, and it wasn’t lost on astute viewers.

He told her, “Unfortunately, that’s not correct.”

As fans pointed out, that’s exactly how Mayim would rule in Final Jeopardy (seen here) , whether the shade was on purpose or not.

“After Shira’s response to FJ was revealed, Ken brought back memories of Mayim by saying, ‘Unfortunately, that’s not correct,’ a Redditor wrote.

Another fan commented: ‘Wow! That’s totally what Mayim used to say on the show. I’m sure Ken knew exactly what he was saying there.”

Adriana is going for her 10th win on Tuesday night’s episode and she now boasts the longest run in over a year.

BYE-ALIK

On December 15, 2023, Mayim Bialik broke the Internet when she announced that she was fired from Jeopardy! personally on Instagram.

She and Ken co-hosted the game show starting in 2022, switching off.

“As the Holiday break begins in Hollywood, I have some Jeopardy! news,” she began her post.

“Sony has informed me that I will no longer be hosting the syndicated version of Jeopardy!”

Jeopardy! cobbled together a similar-looking Instagram message an hour later and it was since reported Mayim broke the news without consulting the show first.

Jeopardy! Host Timeline

Jeopardy! has had a tumultuous history regarding hosts after the death of the iconic Alex Trebek in 2020. Here are all of the hosts since the game show's inception in 1964.

Art Fleming – 1964 to 1975, he was the original host of the daytime version of Jeopardy! on NBC.

Alex Trebek – 1984 to 2020, the late, great Alex hosted Jeopardy!’s modern iteration for 36 years until his death from pancreatic cancer.

Guest hosts – 2020 to 2021, Jeopardy! tested out a series of guest hosts for week or two-week stints, including Anderson Cooper, LaVar Burton, and Aaron Rodgers.

Mike Richards – 2021, he was named host for one week before resigning amid controversy. He was the show’s executive producer at the time.

Mayim Bialik – 2021 to 2023, when Mike was announced as the show’s new host, Mayim was chosen to host tournaments and primetime specials.

Mayim and Ken Jennings – 2022 to 2023, 74-time champion Ken (the longest-winning contestant ever) joined Mayim as a guest host and they split hosting duties.

Ken Jennings – 2023 to present. Last December, Mayim announced on Instagram that she would “no longer” host Jeopardy! after a lengthy hiatus, having stood with the writer’s strike, and Ken was named sole host.

Ken now helms all editions of Jeopardy! including Celebrity Jeopardy!, the nightly show, and other primetime specials like Masters.

In their statement, the show expressed that they “hoped” to work with Mayim on specials and spinoffs in the future.

But the actress has not shared any plans to return to the franchise – or vice versa – even for Celebrity Jeopardy!.

Additionally, Ken tended to be the fan-favorite when the two stars were co-hosts.

Ken later said he “understood” the decision as shows “don’t have two hosts.”

Now, Ken helms all facets of Jeopardy! including specials and spinoffs.

Jeopardy! airs at 7 pm ET on ABC – check your local listings.

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