Ken Jennings Drops Cringeworthy Joke During Jeopardy!' Hosting Gig

Ken Jennings stunned "Jeopardy!" viewers with a painful and cringeworthy joke.

Jennings' return to the game show after being away for months did not impress the viewers that much as the 48-year-old host came back with a painful joke.

On Monday, Jennings hosted the program again after Mayim Bialik served as the master of ceremonies for consecutive months.

During the Double Jeopardy round, he gave a clue for "Active Bible Verses" category.

"Since no one had done this for 40 years, God told Joshua to get a knife & do this to male Israelites," the clue reads.

Contestant Erica Weiner-Amanchi buzzed in and said: "What is circumcise?" to which Jennings joked, "That is correct. A painful $2,000 for you!"

Even the players looked shocked and seemed to cringe after hearing Jennings' statement.

  Still, most viewers laughed at the host's quip and said that he should become the permanent host because of that. Bialik has since shared her thoughts about people's preference in making Jennings as Alex Trebek's permanent successor instead.

During her talk in an episode of her podcast, "Mayim Bialik's Breakdown," she spoke with Justin Long, who told her that the comparisons between the two hosts were "wild."

"Well, it's the only profession that I can think of where people will tell you deeply insulting things but with a big smile," the 46-year-old host said. "The fact is we don't live in a culture where I can wear a gray suit and then a blue suit, but maybe next year, we'll see. I don't think anyone should think about it so much, especially me.

Will Ken Jennings Become a Permanent Host?

Jennings has been one of the top potential hosts of the show since Trebek's death.

Last month, Variety reported that "Jeopardy!" executive producer Michael Davies said during the 2022 Daytimes Emmy that they are close to naming the permanent host to continue Trebek's legacy.

"We hope to have a hosting announcement very, very soon. But with all of our plans for 'Jeopardy!' - which is more 'Jeopardy!,' not less, more versions -we're going to need multiple hosts to represent the entire audience, to represent the entire country, in order to take this franchise forward," he said.

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Davies disclosed they might pick a potential permanent host between Bialik and Jennings. But "Jeopardy!" biggest winners who could also possibly snatch the crown, including Ryan Long, Amy Schneider, Mattea Roach, and Matt Amodio.

Jennings has been dubbed the show's GOAT after winning the "Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time" episode.

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