Dr. Oz Jeopardy Guest Host Pay Revealed

Dr. Oz got paid a handsome sum for his Jeopardy! guest hosting gig. The Hollywood Reporter has learned that the TV personality was handed $268,000 for the stint behind the podium. A lot of fans were surprised to learn this as the payment for these game shows rarely comes up. But, with Oz running for political office, his finances come into public eye. There are other revenue streams for him as well, his net worth is over $100 according to some recent disclosure. Back in the days of his television show, Oz was bringing home $2 million a year. More interestingly, he wasn’t even selected for the final gig. There was a ton of consternation about the initial decision to have producer Mike Richards host. Then, when sexual misconduct allegations surfaced, Sony and the decision-makers made a swap.

After a while, they landed on Jeopardy! staple Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik to co-host the show for now. Here’s what Sony said in a statement when that happened. “I’m writing to let you know that Mike will no longer be serving as EP of Wheel and Jeopardy! effective immediately,” executive vice president of business and strategy Suzanne Pete wrote in a memo to both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune staff. “We had hoped that when Mike stepped down from the host position at Jeopardy! it would have minimized the disruption and internal difficulties we have all experienced these last few weeks. That clearly has not happened.”

Current co-host Bialik talked to James Corden about seeing all the headlines about choosing a new host. She sounded exasperated, but some of that fervor has subsided. “Just let me read the clues! I was a headline on CNN three days in a row,” she said. “Like, who knew that people were so passionate about who hosts Jeopardy!? I mean, I’m just trying to read the clues, you know? Just let me read the clues. The thing about Jeopardy!, we spend our whole lives wanting to be seen and this job is like, people should think the least about me. It’s my job to be the host [and] just read the clues.”

“But I have to say, the use of my brain and my skillset feels best suited by this job on Jeopardy! It is a dream job,” Bialik previously explained to Glamour. “I think it’s a dream job for anyone, but especially for someone who is trained first as a performer and then as a science communicator.”

Are you happy with the hosting situation? Let us know down in the comments!