Ken Jennings Apologizes to Contestant Over Controversial Clue on Jeopardy!

Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings recently apologized to contestant Heather Ryan for a clue that he deemed "a little problematic." This incident occurred during the Oct. 28 episode, where a particular clue raised significant concerns among viewers.

The contentious clue appeared in the "Complete the Rhyming Phrase" category and was valued at $400. Heather chosen this clue, which stated, "Men seldom make passes at…" Unfortunately, she did not provide an answer. Contestant Will Wallace subsequently answered correctly, stating, "What are ‘Girls who wear glasses’?" This was particularly noteworthy as Heather was indeed wearing glasses.

Upon realizing the implications of the clue, Kens remarked, "A little problematic, sorry Heather," and Will agreed by saying, "Very." Neither Heather nor Will ended up winning the game, as the victory went to Ian Taylor, another contestant.

Viewers expressed outrage regarding the clue on social media. One user on X felt frustrated, commenting, "She's used her intelligence to get on here, only to be insulted by a sexist and rude comment." Another user remarked, "It was just stupid," while acknowledging Jennings' appropriate response given the situation with a young female contestant wearing glasses. A third user escalated the critique, stating, "More like extremely problematic!" along with hashtags "#girlswithglasses #Jeopardy."

This hiccup is not the first for the show. In March 2023, Jeopardy! inadvertently revealed final scores at the start of an episode, ruining the suspense for the viewers. Additionally, a November 2022 incident involved a troubling clue related to the death of Gabby Petito, prompting backlash from viewers.