Ken Jennings: 6 Things to Know About ‘Jeopardy!’ Host

Martin Holmes September 5, 2023, 10:33 am

Jeopardy! is set to return for its landmark 40th season next Monday, September 11, and Ken Jennings will be back at the podium to oversee the competition.

As Jennings prepares for the upcoming season, here are some key details you should know about the Jeopardy! GOAT.

He Grew Up in South Korea & Singapore

While Jennings was born on May 23, 1974, in Edmonds, Washington, he spent 11 years of his childhood growing up in South Korea and Singapore as his father worked as a lawyer overseas.

It was while living abroad that Jennings developed his love for Jeopardy! as his only access to American TV at the time was on the Armed Forces Network, where he’d watch Jeopardy! religiously after school every afternoon.

He is a Member of the Mormon Church

Jennings is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka the Mormon Church). He participated in a two-year Mormon mission in Madrid, Spain, before transferring to Brigham Young University in 1996 to study computer science.

The host proudly talked about his faith while he was a contestant on the show. In an old interview, Jennings recalled talking about his faith with the late Alex Trebek, saying, “Alex would ask me if I was going to tithe my winnings, so suddenly you’re talking about tithing on national TV.”

He continued, “I decided that early on the only thing I could do was just be myself. And if there’s some lingering impression that this fairly normal, if not slightly nerdy guy, and yet is Mormon, then I think that’s okay. That was sort of my goal all along—to be just the normal guy who was also Mormon.”

He Met His Wife at University

While at Brigham Young University, Jennings crossed paths with theater major Mindy Boam. The pair hit it off, and the future game show host asked Boam out. By the time their graduation rolled around in 2000, Jennings and Boam were engaged.

The pair married on September 16, 2000, and welcomed their first child, Dylan, two years later. They added a daughter, Caitlin, to the family in 2006. The family now lives in a luxury home worth over $2,900,000 in Seattle, Washington.

Ken Jennings Facebook

Jennings told Vulture that Mindy was “always my first call when I got back to the Sony parking garage” after filming his Jeopardy! episodes as a contestant. And he also credited her for calming his nerves when he took over as the show’s host in 2022.

Ken Jennings Twitter

When Jennings worried that he wouldn’t live up to Trebek’s standard, he explained that Mindy told him, “’Of course not. But do you think you might stand up to what he did on his first day?’ Oh. That’s a nice way of looking at it. I haven’t had 37 years of practice.”

He Holds the Record for Longest Winning Streak

Before he was known as Jeopardy!‘s host, Jennings was recognized as the show’s most dominant champion of all time. He went on an impressive and as-yet unbeaten 74-game winning streak in 2004, earning $2.52 million, making him the highest-earning American quiz player of ever.

He went on to appear in several Jeopardy! tournament specials, including the 2020 Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time, where he bested Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer.

He Was a Chaser on ABC’s The Chase

Before taking over as permanent Jeopardy! host, Jennings starred as one of the Chasers on the ABC reboot of The Chase. He appeared alongside his former Jeopardy! foes James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter.

(Credit: ABC/Ron Batzdorff)

However, Jennings left the show after two seasons to focus on his Jeopardy! duties.

His Net Worth is Estimated at More Than $6 Million

According to caknowledge.com, Jennings has an estimated net worth of more than $6 million. The website calculates all of the host’s prize winnings from his game show appearances, including his overall Jeopardy! winnings of $4,522,700, $500,000 from Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?, $100,00 from Grand Slam, $100,000 from Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and $714.29 from 1 vs 100.

Exact figures relating to Jennings’ hosting gig are unknown, but RadarOnline previously claimed Jennings and his co-host Mayim Bialik earn “about $1 million” per season.

Jennings has also published several books, including Brainiac, Ken Jennings’s Trivia Almanac, Because I Said So!, and, most recently, 100 Places to See After You Die. Also, according to Business Insider, Jennings invested his winnings in stocks, bonds, and real estate.