‘Jeopardy!’ Host Ken Jennings Slams Gavin Newsom Over Trans Rights
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Gavin Newsom might be a leading contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, but one person who won’t be casting a vote for him is Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings.
Jennings made his point clear on Thursday (July 17) when he took to the social media platform Bluesky to slam Newsom’s stance on transgender children. The host was responding to a fellow user who wrote, “I will never, ever vote for Gavin Newsom. Ever, under any circumstances. I don’t care if he becomes the Dem nominee, he’s still not getting my vote.”
“This is correct,” Jennings replied. “Any candidate cynically ‘triangulating’ on trans kids is a non-starter, and now is the time to say so. There’s still so much time to advance candidates that DON’T suck.”
He followed up, “I think the only two governors who ever followed me on Twitter were Newsom and Spencer Cox, and I feel bad that I’m apparently such a good “craven doofus” follow.”
Newsom has faced backlash from the LGBTQ+ community in recent months for appearing on right-wing podcasts and feeding into the anti-trans talking points. This includes a recent appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show podcast, where the California Governor talked about trans athletes and trans children. Newsom has said that it’s “deeply unfair” for transgender athletes to compete in female sports.
Fans appreciated Jennings speaking out on the matter, with one Reddit user writing, “Thank you! It is all about the permission structures that we allow. It is time for us to be aggressively against bigotry. Remember fam, the abolishment of slavery, and the civil rights movements were both in their times wildly unpopular to the public. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what the majority thinks.”
“Not all heroes wear capes. He nailed it on the cynical part. Now I have the right word to explain my Newsom ick,” said another.
“Even the occasional craven doofus watches Jeopardy,” quipped another Bluesky user.
Another added, “I very much appreciate you for who you are, Ken, regardless of how you may be perceived. And that includes in both your professional and personal capacities. I bet a lot of people do. So thank you.”
“Thank you for remaining a real one,” said one commenter.
“I watch Jeopardy quite a bit but frankly knew nothing about Ken Jennings’ politics. Let’s just say this take is a welcome surprise,” another wrote.
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