Ken Jennings is opening up about taking the reins of Jeopardy! more than four years after the death of Alex Trebek.
At the TCM Classic Film Festival opening night screening of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back on April 24, Jennings, 50, told PEOPLE about how he initially channeled Trebek — who died on Nov. 8, 2020 at 80 years old after being diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in March 2019 — while hosting the popular game show.
“It was very tricky after Alex passed because, of course, we all missed him,” he admitted of taking over for Trebek. “No one had seen anybody else host Jeopardy for nearly 40 years. It was a tricky adjustment, and I didn’t want to be there.”
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Ken Jennings attends the screening of “Moonlight and Pretzels” during the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 24, 2025 in Hollywood, California.
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“I wanted Alex – like he was my guy, but luckily I had seen him host enough that I kind of had this internal sense of what would he do here, and that’s really the only thing that got me through,” he continued. “And a few years on, I’ve gotten enough reps that I feel a little more comfortable out there.”
When asked if he had ever considered changing up the show, Jennings said that the game show has “a very tight format” with a “tradition-observant audience, a change-resistant audience,” adding, “So I don’t think anybody suddenly wants to…What would it even be? A catchphrase? ‘Jennings out!’?”
“I think Ryan [Seacrest]’s doing Wheel [of Fortune] now, so there’s unlikely to be big changes on my watch,” he added. “I’m a fan first and foremost. I want to see the Jeopardy I grew up on.”
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From left: Ken Jennings and Alex Trebek
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One tradition that is certain to never change is what is being watched in the dressing room that Jennings inherited from Trebek. When asked if he is a big old movie fan, Jennings explained, “Absolutely. From my childhood on, and it’s part of our Jeopardy! tradition because Alex always had TCM [Turner Classic Movies] on in the dressing room, and that’s something I’m gladly keeping going.”
Jennings’ comments come more than five months after Jeopardy! honored Trebek with a sweet video posted to their Instagram on Nov. 8, which is the fourth anniversary of his death.
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In the clip, Jennings recalled a memorable interaction between him and Trebek shortly after the longtime host revealed his diagnosis in 2019.
“Today, on the anniversary of his passing, I’ve been thinking a lot about the last time I ever came here to watch him host,” he shared. “It was shortly before the pandemic, and he had announced his cancer diagnosis, and he actually asked if I would come backstage. And I was a little bit apprehensive about this. I’d never been to his dressing room, as a contestant.”
“He wasn’t feeling great that day,” he added. “Often he would look and sound fantastic while doing the show, but he wasn’t in the best shape backstage, but he greeted me warmly, and I asked how he was doing, and I was really touched by how emotional he was about the outpouring of love he was getting from Jeopardy fans.”
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