‘Jeopardy!’: Ken Jennings Isn’t a Scab Says His Podcast Co-Host

Martin Holmes August 29, 2023

There has been a lot of debate over Ken Jennings‘ decision to continue hosting Jeopardy! despite the ongoing WGA and SAG strikes, with some fans and former contestants going so far as to call him a “scab.”

Besides resharing a statement from the show’s executive producer, Michael Davies, referencing how the late Alex Trebek continued hosting during the 2007-08 writers’ strike, Jennings has kept relatively quiet on the subject. However, his Omnibus podcast co-host, John Roderick, has now spoken out, sharing his thoughts on the controversy and defending the Jeopardy! GOAT.

“If you look at SAG-AFTRA rules there are contractual carve-outs for daytime television and game shows specifically,” Roderick wrote in a Facebook post. “Ken is a member of SAG in good standing. Everyone in Hollywood is aware that different unions have different rules and different contracts apply differently to different jobs.”

“Ken is not a scab and anyone who says so is ignorant of how unions work,” Roderick continued. “It amazes me that so many people who think they are supporting labor by yelling scab on a public forum are just revealing they have no idea how organized labor functions.”

Jennings previously stepped in to host the remainder of Season 39 after fellow host Mayim Bialik bowed out in solidarity with the WGA strike. This led to a certain amount of backlash, including former Jeopardy! champ Wil Wheaton calling Jennings a “scab” for crossing the picket line.

“I’m not going to say Mayim, or Wil Wheaton, are SHOWBOATING, and maybe Wil doesn’t know how labor works either, but there’s a lot of irrelevant virtue-signaling on this topic that, frankly, is both boring and idiotic,” Roderick added.

Roderick went on to say that while Bialik is doing “performative solidarity,” Jennings is “stepping in to keep the show running in accordance with his contract as a SAG-AFTRA game show host.”

He added that he doesn’t understand how Jennings can be a “scab” while following the rules of his SAG-AFTRA contract. And as for why Jennings hasn’t spoken on the matter, Roderick said that the host has “too much professionalism to mindlessly debate this on social media and too much dignity to respond to idiots.”

John Roderick Facebook

There was a mixed reaction to Roderick’s statement on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum, with some fans agreeing with his sentiments and others sharing a different opinion on the situation.

“I think the initial backlash came from people not realizing there were two separate contracts for scripted and non-scripted shows,” wrote one fan. “Jeopardy falls under non-scripted. So Ken’s just doing his job. But Mayim, being a member of both fields, probably felt it necessary for her to step away as to not confuse things.”

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“That may be partly true, but I would guess that most of the backlash comes from people who believe it’s wrong to cross a picket line, which Ken is doing,” another user responded. “Roderick is right that Ken is not technically a “scab,” but it’s pretty remarkable that his post ignores the question of whether Ken is crossing the picket line and whether that’s something actively frowned on by organized labor.”

“Ken is a member of SAG-AFTRA. He is legally obligated to show up to work or be in breach of contract. Mayim only has the privilege because Ken is there to cover,” said another viewer.

“I’m hardly one to defend Mayim’s presence on the show, but was her walkout out of “performative solidarity”, or rather because she is a dues-paying member of the WGA? Wil Wheaton, on the other hand, is definitely showboating,” wrote another.

“Hot take: Ken is not the scab but J!/Sony Pictures TV definitely is for choosing to continue production without their writers,” said another commenter.

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