The Details Behind Mayim Bialik Leaving ‘Jeopardy!’ Are Messy

By Mike Redmond | Pajiba Love | December 27, 2023 |

By Mike Redmond | Pajiba Love | December 27, 2023 |

When it comes to Jeopardy!, Clare McNear literally wrote a book on the classic game show and has been a consistently accurate source of information for behind-the-scenes dealings. Naturally, McNear went to work digging into Mayim Bialik’s recent exit and what she found is a murky situation. On the surface, it does appear that Bialik’s decision to support the writers’ strike was a contributing factor, but at the same time, her support didn’t make sense and may have actually been illegal considering the show operates under the Network Code. She made Ken Jennings look like a scab when he did the same thing Alex Trebek did during the 2007-2008 strike per their network contracts. Bialik’s decision to sit out her hosting duties led to Jennings taking on more responsibilities, and he soon surpassed her as the better host. Thanks to her lengthy acting experience, Bialik was better suited for reading teleprompters and being natural on camera. Jennings struggled with both, but soon found a rhythm that made him the preferred host with viewers. McNear also gets into the even murkier question of whether Bialik was fired, quit, or might be back to host Celebrity Jeopardy!, which apparently could still happen. (The Ringer)

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