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 garnering 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 on the show, netting him $2,522,700 over the course of his 75-day run. Despite his major success on Jeopardy!, Jennings does not hold the record for longest winning streak worldwide; that record is held by Ian Lygo, who won 75 games on the British game show 100% in 1998 (Jennings appeared on Jeopardy! for 75 days but won 74 games). 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.