Ken Jennings of ‘Jeopardy!’ Apologizes for ‘Insensitive’ Tweets

Ken Jennings has apologized for tweeting “unartful and insensitive things.”

The former Jeopardy! contestant, who will be guest hosting the long-running quiz show following the death of Alex Trebek, responded to criticism he received for some of his past social media comments.

Jennings on Wednesday tweeted, “Hey, I just wanted to own up to the fact that over the years on Twitter, I’ve definitely tweeted some unartful and insensitive things.

“Sometimes they worked as jokes in my head and I was dismayed to see how they read on screen. In the past, I’d usually leave bad tweets up just so they could be dunked on. At least that way they could lead to smart replies and even advocacy. Deleting them felt like whitewashing a mistake.

“But I think that practice may have given the impression I stand by every failed joke I’ve ever posted here. Not at all!’

Sometimes I said dumb things in a dumb way and I want to apologize to people who were (rightfully!) offended. It wasn't my intention to hurt anyone, but that doesn't matter: I screwed up, and I'm truly sorry. 4/x

— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) December 30, 2020

Although Jennings didn’t refer specifically to any particular posts, he acknowledged he promised to ‘be kinder’ to others in 2021.

The tweets that sparked the apologies related to comments Jennings made in 2014, when he posted: “Nothing sadder than a hot person in a wheelchair.”

He apologized for that tweet in 2018, but it resurfaced again when news broke that he was guest-hosting Jeopardy!

Trebek’s final episodes will air next week, January 4-8, and Jennings’ first episode is January 11.