Friday’s episode of Jeopardy! came with a clue of its own. Before the episode aired on Friday, the show’s official Twitter account shared a message advising fans that the episode contained a clue regarding Ukraine and Russia, but that the episode had been recorded back in January — before Russia invaded Ukraine last month.
“Please note the clue in today’s show concerning Russia and Ukraine was recorded on Jan. 11, 2022,” the tweet read. Additionally, the episode saw a note indicating “Recorded on January 11, 2022” in the corner of the screen when the clue itself aired.
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The clue in question was part of the Double Jeopardy! category “Bordering Russia” with the clue reading “The Kerch Strait — along with serious border issues — separates Russia from this country on the Black Sea.” Contestant Adrian Alcala gave the correct response: “What is Ukraine?”
Russian President Vladmir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 24th. In the week since the invasion, more than one million Ukrainians have fled the nation, according to the United Nations. The Russia’s invasion has been widely condemned by the global community and numerous entertainment companies have suspended sales and business with the country over the matter. Companies such as Electronic Arts, Microsoft, PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, and more have pulled their services from Russia in recent days and various film studios have pulled their films from release in Russia as well, including Universal, Disney, Sony, Paramount, and Warner Bros.
“Given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we are pausing the release of theatrical films in Russia, including the upcoming Turning Red from Pixar,” Disney’s statement reads. “We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation. In the meantime, given the scale of the emerging refugee crisis, we are working with our NGO partners to provide urgent aid and other humanitarian assistance to refugees.”
In addition to the action from Hollywood studios, the Ukrainian Film Academy is petitioning a boycott of the Russian film industry.
“But at a time when world powers are imposing economic and political sanctions on the Russian Federation, the country continues to be active in the cultural field. In particular, several films made by Russia are regularly admitted to the programs of most world film festivals, and significant resources are spent on their promotion,” the petition reads.
It adds, “The result of this activity is not only the spread of propaganda messages and distorted facts. It also boosts the loyalty of Russian culture – the culture of the aggressor state, which unleashed unjustified and unprovoked war in central Europe. Even the very presence of Russian films in the program of world film festivals creates the illusion of Russia’s involvement in the values of the civilized world.”
