Jeopardy! is the all-time most popular American television show.
But behind the scenes, the game show has been something of a drama for several years now.
Now one Jeopardy! host made a jaw-dropping announcement about refusing to work for the rest of 2023.
Alex Trebek hosted Jeopardy! for 37 seasons, making him the longest-serving host in television.
After Trebek lost his battle with cancer, producers faced the daunting task of finding his permanent replacement.
They started by choosing one of their own.
Mike Richards, one of the show’s long-time producers of Jeopardy! was tapped as the new main host, while several guest hosts were tried out.
But that didn’t last long since Richards was soon smacked with #MeToo allegations stemming from his time on “The Price Is Right.”
Richards resigned from hosting and was soon fired from even his producing post.
After that disaster, Mayim Bialik, star of “The Big Bang Theory” and “Blossom” emerged as the top contender for the job.
However, the woke left-wing outrage mob started attacking her after it came to light that even before COVID hit she had concerns about the efficacy and safety of vaccines while pregnant with her first child.
Bowing to the Woke Mob’s demands, Jeopardy! opted to name the show’s record-breaking champion Ken Jennings as the new main host.
However, they kept Bialik in play for special Jeopardy! events, like Celebrity Jeopardy! and the Jeopardy! National College Championship, after she caved and complied with the vaccine mandate.
But now, Bialik is reportedly done with Jeopardy! due to the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strikes in Hollywood.
Bialik is a member of SAG-AFTRA and may actually leave the show in an effort to support her fellow actors.
“Mayim is choosing to stand with the actors like she did the writers and won’t cross the picket lines,” one source told The Messenger. “She hopes to return to Jeopardy! as soon as the strike has been resolved.”
“She wasn’t fired,” the inside source added. “She’s choosing to stand with her union, and because of that, she was told it is unlikely she will return for the rest of the year, even if the strike is resolved before then.”
Union rules stipulate that Bialik could technically remain as host, but it appears she’s not pushing for that since it’s something of a gray area since the show is written by WGA members.
Currently, both the writers and actors are on strike simultaneously—something that hasn’t happened for decades.
Two big issues both actors and writers are agonizing over include residual payments from streaming services and the use of artificial intelligence to create shows and movies.
With network television shows nearly extinct, authors and writers are now recognizing the need to profit off of premium cable channels and streaming services, like Netflix and Amazon Prime, which are now home to most top shows.
Already, the strike has been dragging on for months.
Facing off against the writers and actors is the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
“This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said speaking out for the AMPTP. “I understand any labor organization’s desire to work on behalf of its members to get the most compensation and be compensated fairly based on the value that they deliver. We managed, as an industry, to negotiate a very good deal with the directors guild that reflects the value that the directors contribute to this great business.”
“We wanted to do the same thing with the writers, and we’d like to do the same thing with the actors,” he continued. “There’s a level of expectation that they have, that is just not realistic. And they are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing that is, quite frankly, very disruptive.”
With even an evening staple like Jeopardy! affected, it’s becoming apparent things could get extremely ugly if the strike continues to drag on.
Political Animal News will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
