‘White glove’ treatment on Jeopardy & Wheel of Fortune axed as ‘power shifts’ for new hosts Ken Jennings & Ryan Seacrest

THE new hosts of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune are treading on water as they try to keep their studio bosses happy, The U.S. Sun has been told.

Former Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings , 50, filled the shoes of his late hero Alex Trebek when he became sole host of the beloved quiz show in December.

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Meanwhile, longtime American Idol presenter Ryan Seacrest , 49, is currently shooting his first season as the replacement for Wheel of Fortune legend Pat Sajak .

And a Sony TV insider has revealed that the new frontmen have changed how both shows are produced behind the scenes.

“When Pat Sajak was hosting Wheel and Alex Trebek was hosting Jeopardy!, Sony TV gave these shows the white glove treatment,” the source said.

“Frankly, the executives in charge were totally afraid of both of those guys because they were both great at their jobs, beloved by audiences and had steered the properties to success for decades.

“But now both shows are hosted by guys who were picked by the current executive leadership at Sony, and there’s a boss-employee dynamic in place that didn’t exist during Pat and Alex’s long tenure.

“It’s very clear who is in charge now, and that’s Sony, not Ken and Ryan.”

“Both of them are behaving like they want to please the bosses and they are afraid of the consequences if they don’t,” the insider added.

Ken was named co-host of Jeopardy! with Mayim Bialik in July 2022 after the show struggled to find a replacement for Alex following his death from pancreatic cancer in November 2020.

The quiz show had featured a series of guest hosts before it was announced that producer Mike Richards and actress Mayim would take over as co-hosts.

Ken stepped in to split hosting duties with Mayim after Richards was forced to resign in August 2021 when sexist comments he had made online resurfaced.

Ryan began filming last month for the upcoming season of Wheel of Fortune.

It will be the first since Pat, 77, retired in June following a record-breaking 42-year run on the show.

“It’s probably going to take both of these guys years to build up the gravitas that Pat and Alex enjoyed,” the source explained.

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.

“Right now they’re just treading water, looking over their shoulders and trying to do the job in a way that won’t cause even the tiniest downtick in the ratings.

“I really don’t think that’s a great way to run a game show, where the host should be calm and cool, but it’s Sony’s fault for creating this atmosphere and ultimately, they will reap what they sow.”

The U.S. Sun had previously been told that Ryan’s arrival on Wheel of Fortune was set to put Ken under increased pressure.

The Sony TV insider said it could get ugly for Ken if Jeopardy! starts to dip in the ratings compared to Wheel.

The U.S. Sun was also told earlier this week that “hype-beast” Ryan is leaving behind Pat’s laid-bak style as he settles into his new role.

The Ryan Seacrest era of Wheel of Fortune is due to start in mid-September.

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