Ken Jennings Reveals He’s Been Kicked Out of ‘Jeopardy! Family’ Group Chat

What is… left out? Ken Jennings shared that he is excited to be reunited with his “Jeopardy! family” for the upcoming Masters Tournament, but he also said he is not a part of their group chat anymore, despite the host still being friends with many of the returning players.

Jennings talked with Tampa Bay’s Morning Brew host Natalie Taylor on Tuesday, April 29, about the upcoming tournament in the below-embedded segment. The third annual Jeopardy! Masters season will feature nine of the game show‘s greatest, including reigning champion Victoria Groce, returning finalist Yogesh Raut, 2025 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions winner Neilesh Vinjamuri, TOC finalists Adriana Harmeyer and Isaac Hirsch, 2025 Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament champion Matt Amodio, JIT finalists Roger Craig and Juveria Zaheer, and one of the biggest Jeopardy! winners of all-time Brad Rutter, who hasn’t been on the Alex Trebek stage since 2020.

He shared that hosting reminds him of being a contestant and how “nervous” he was to come back for a tournament. “But, as host, I really enjoy it. It’s a chance to see old friends again, and it’s a chance for viewers to see the very best Jeopardy! play that I can remember. It’s going to be a great tournament,” he said.

“I like how you say you get to see some of your old friends again,” Taylor said. “Is it kind of like a family? Is there like a comradery once you’ve had success on Jeopardy!? Like you all know each other?”

“There really is. Sadly, now that I’m the host, I feel like I’m a little bit excluded. I am not in the group chat. The champs always have a group chat. They go out to eat dinner together after we tape. Even though they’re rivals on the air, I think they know they’re like-minded folks and Jeopardy! fans and they get along great.”

“I love hearing that,” Taylor said. “We’ll get you back on the group chats though. We’ll start a campaign for you.” Jennings chuckled at the host’s suggestion.

Jennings called being a host a “full-circle moment.” “I’m lucky to be here,” he said.

Jeopardy! Masters will premiere on Wednesday, April 30, at 9/8c on ABC. The episodes will be one hour long and consist of two games per episode. The competition will then air on Wednesday nights for nine weeks.