Ken Jennings

Kenneth Wayne Jennings III (born May 23, 1974) is an American game show host, former contestant, and author. He is best known for his success and streak as a contestant on the syndicated quiz show ''Jeopardy!'', which he now hosts. Jennings was born in Edmonds, Washington, but grew up in South Korea and Singapore. He worked as a software engineer before auditioning for ''Jeopardy!'' in 2004. During his initial run, Jennings won 74 consecutive games, becoming the highest-earning American game show contestant (a title he held for over 20 years) and bringing significant media attention and viewership.

Afterward, Jennings pursued a career as an author, writing about his experience and exploring American trivia history and culture in a series of best-selling books. He also appeared on other game shows, including ''The Chase'' (where he was nicknamed "The Professor"), and hosted the ''Omnibus'' podcast from 2017 to 2025. Jennings returned to ''Jeopardy!'' in 2020 as a producer, and later guest-hosted the program after the death of host Alex Trebek that year. Jennings split full-time hosting duties with Mayim Bialik from 2021 to 2023, when he was made the sole host.

Jennings holds numerous game show records. As of 2025, he is the second highest-earning American game show contestant, having won money on five different programs, including $4,522,700 on ''Jeopardy!''. His original appearance on the program marks the longest winning streak, netting him $2,522,700 over the course of his 75-day run. Jennings also holds the record for highest average correct responses per game and won the ''Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time'' tournament. On July 30, 2025, he and Matt Damon became the second duo and the third celebrities overall to win the $1,000,000 top prize for their charity, Water.org, and the 16th overall million-dollar winners on ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire''. Jennings also won $100,000 on November 17, 2014. Provided by Wikipedia