During his first show as host of 'Jeopardy!', Ken Jennings recalls feeling a sense of unease, thinking 'I don't want to be here'.

During his time hosting "Jeopardy!", Ken Jennings experienced a point of doubt where he no longer wished to continue with the show.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Jennings confessed that he wasn't concerned about his first episode when he was asked to replace Alex Trebek after his death in 2020.

He was more preoccupied with the sorrow and bereavement he and the show's crew were going through after the demise of Trebek.

Despite being the least known person among 100 individuals on set, crew, and staff, Jennings had to address the emotional situation. He was scared and aware that the audience did not want him there. He felt like the audience wanted the other guy, and he missed him too. Jennings expressed his feelings, saying, "I don't want to be here. I would give anything to not be here right now."

After Trebek's passing, the original plan for "Jeopardy!" was to have several hosts rotate, but Jennings stood out among the candidates.

"They’re like me, they want the other guy, and I was missing him too. I’m like, ‘I don’t want to be here. I would give anything to not be here right now.'"  — Ken Jennings

"Davies recounted the look on the contestants' faces when Ken Jennings walked out on stage. He also remembered a contestant who gave the wrong answer and Ken's ability to quickly correct it. Ken's knowledge of obscure artists impressed Davies, who wondered who else could have that moment of knowledge except for Ken Jennings."

In 2021, Mayim Bialik was named as the new permanent host of the show alongside Jennings. However, in December 2023, Bialik announced that she had been let go from the job.

Jennings revealed that he had discussed with Trebek the possibility of taking over the game show, mentioning that their first conversation was about recording a segment of his audiobook, which was released in 2020.

Jennings stated that the first time he ever had a conversation with him about torch passing was unspoken, and it was kind of very unspoken.

Over the past 20 years, Jennings has been a contestant on "Jeopardy!" and has won more than $2.5 million in 74 consecutive games.

In his interview with Rolling Stone, he stated that "Jeopardy!" has the ability to bring people together.

""Jeopardy!" is a unifying thing, according to Jennings. It has universal acceptance among young and old people, as well as red and blue states. Despite the presence of anti-science and fake news, "Jeopardy!" seems to have a carve-out for itself. Perhaps this is because it is a game."

On 'Jeopardy!', people don't question the validity of dinosaur or moon landing categories, which could be a positive sign.