'Jeopardy!' host Ken Jennings under fire for joke about elderly people: 'Tasteless'

Ken Jennings has landed himself in some hot water.

On last night's episode of "Jeopardy!" Jennings made a remark about people in assisted living facilities that offended some viewers, and they were quick to air their grievances on social media.

During the interview portion of the game show, which is currently airing the Champions Wildcard tournament, the host was talking to contestant Jen Jazwinski, who spoke about her grandmother.

She said that in one of her previous appearances on the show, she mentioned how important her grandmother was to her and what she'd done for her.

"When I did that, her entire home where she lives was watching, and they stood and gave her a standing ovation during that part of the show," she told Jennings last night. "So that was a really special moment for her and for me."

In return, Jennings said, "That’s great. And that means a lot in assisted living. Standing up: not easy . . . for all those people, I would assume."

Jazwinski ended up winning the game, but several viewers were hung up on Jennings' remark.

One person tagged the "Jeopardy!" account on X, formerly Twitter, and wrote, "Really? Nothing like a little casual ageism from @KenJennings - it’s difficult for people in assisted living to stand up? Disappointed."

Another viewer said, "@KenJennings disses the elderly tonight 11/09/23 when responding to Jen who said her grandma’s home residents stood up and clapped at her winning. He said they’re so old hard to stand up. He should apologize. @Jeopardy He promotes himself as a good Mormon NOT."

"You used to be able to laugh at Ken's joke about assisted living," another mused. "In the 90's as a late teen/20 something, I would of laughed. Now I find myself having mixed feelings."

One comment read, "@KenJennings just made a joke about people in assisted living and I didn’t know whether to laugh or cringe so I did both." To further illustrate their point, they used the hashtags "funny" and "tasteless."... (Read more)

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