Ken Jennings Faces Backlash After Making Insensitive Joke About Elderly People on 'Jeopardy!'

Ken Jennings sparked backlash on social media after making a joke to a contestant that some viewers found to be in "poor taste."

On the Thursday, November 9, episode of the Jeopardy! "Champions Wildcard" tournament, player Jen Jazwinski recalled gushing about how important her grandmother was to her during a previous appearance on the hit game show.

"When I did that, her entire home where she lives was watching, and they stood and gave her a standing ovation during that part of the show," she explained. "So that was a really special moment for her and for me."

Jennings quipped, "That’s great. And that means a lot in assisted living. Standing up...not easy...for all those people, I would assume."

While some Jeopardy! fans thought that the joke was lighthearted and funny, others on social media found it to be insensitive and "ageist."

"Not a good reply, #KenJennings. Both condescending and offensive," one user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, while another replied, "He def took a risk there."

"@Jeopardy Really? Nothing like a little casual ageism from @KenJennings," a third person penned. "It’s difficult for people in assisted living to stand up? Disappointed."

"He should apologize," another responded. "@Jeopardy He promotes himself as a good Mormon NOT."

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This social slip-up comes after Jennings compared his hosting style to Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak — as opposed to Alex Trebek's more serious approach to the role.

"Alex was such a genius at being the host of Jeopardy! you really cannot do better than that," he revealed. "But as a kid I was always like, 'Pat's more fun, Pat jokes around with the three people.'"

"I'm a little more of a Pat Sajak, where I'm like, if I say one more thing, please end it with a joke," he explained at the time. "Whereas Alex was very much like 'OK, helium balloons, all right. How about you?' I want to make it less painful than it was for me as a viewer."

Trebek hosted Jeopardy! from 1984 until 2020, when he passed away after a lengthy battled with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

Jennings and co-host Mayim Bialik were later chosen to alternate filling the role.