Jeopardy Star Ken Jennings Apologizes For Insensitive Tweets

Interim Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings apologized for some insensitive Tweets this afternoon. The game show legend had drawn some attention for past comments and decided to own up to them before getting the full wrath of spectators. He posted a thoughtful thread about the nature of jokes and how they can cause harm even when that isn't the intent behind them. Multiple fans responded with kind words and encouragement after his messages. Jennings had become something of a fun presence on the platform and drew a lot of attention during the pandemic's Tournament of Champions. The tragic passing of Jeopardy host Alex Trebek also drew the spotlight onto the man that was viewed as the personality's greatest rival on the program. Hopefully, someone out there will read his tweets on the Internet and think twice before hitting that send button because what we post is forever.

Hey, I just wanted to own up to the fact that over the years on Twitter, I've definitely tweeted some unartful and insensitive things. Sometimes they worked as jokes in my head and I was dismayed to see how they read on screen. 1/x

— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) December 30, 2020

"Hey, I just wanted to own up to the fact that over the years on Twitter, I've definitely tweeted some unartful and insensitive things. Sometimes they worked as jokes in my head and I was dismayed to see how they read on-screen," Jennings explained. "In the past, I'd usually leave bad tweets up just so they could be dunked on. At least that way they could lead to smart replies and even advocacy. Deleting them felt like whitewashing a mistake."

Jeopardy! announced that the former Champion would be stepping into the hosting role soon after Trebek's passing earlier this year.

"Alex believed in the importance of Jeopardy and always said that he wanted the show to go on after him," executive producer Mike Richards said in a statement. "We will honor Alex's legacy by continuing to produce the game he loved with smart contestants and challenging clues. By bringing in familiar guest hosts for the foreseeable future, our goal is to create a sense of community and continuity for our viewers."

What do you think of Jennings' statement here? Let us know down in the comments! Check out the responses down below: