Jeopardy! fans call out host Ken Jennings for ‘harsh’ post as he vacations in Australia

Ken Jennings’ fans have gone after the Jeopardy! host for what they are calling a ‘harsh’ post, as Jennings and his wife mark their 25th wedding anniversary

Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings has stirred up debate among fans with a witty social media post during his anniversary trip to Australia.

The 51-year-old game show host, currently vacationing with wife Mindy Jennings to mark their 25th wedding anniversary, shared a photo on Instagram that featured the storefront of The Reject Shop, a popular Australian dollar store. Jennings captioned the image, “This Australian dollar store called… and they’re running out of YOU!”

The post triggered a flood of replies, with users reacting to what some described as a “harsh” jab. One wrote, “Ken delivering it hard – ii love it!” Another wrote, “Whoa! They went right to the point,” following Jennings suggesting changes to the long-running show.

“This must be where my parents adopted me from,” joked another.

Another comment read, “What’s the conversion rate from Jerk Store to Reject Shop?” while one follower wrote, “Ouch.”

Several users responded as if personally targeted by the post. “Why you gotta call me out like that Ken?” one asked.

Another wrote, “That’s what I should have said!”

Jennings has been sharing highlights from his time off from the game show.

Earlier in the week, he posted an image of an old Yellow wooden object with a plaque that read, “I’m very old. Please don’t climb on me.”

He captioned that post, “Message to my haters.”

That photo also saw a large amount of fan support. “We could never hate you!” one follower wrote. “You’re the GOAT,” added another.

The tone of the Reject Shop post struck a slightly different chord.

“Harsh!” a commenter replied. Another wrote, “Ken, don’t remind us of your mortality. I’m still mourning Alex [Trebek]!!!!!!” referencing the longtime Jeopardy! host, who died in 2020 from pancreatic cancer.

Jennings took over as the show’s permanent host following Trebek’s death, initially sharing the role with Mayim Bialik before becoming the sole host in December 2023.

Recently, Jennings took a hard look at his old outfits from his historic 74-game winning streak in 2004.

“If I’m seeing that right, that is a terrible tie and really it’s a color of shirt I would never wear,” Jennings told E! News, while reacting to one photo featuring a beige shirt paired with a Coca-Cola patterned tie. “I guess if you like Coca-Cola, you’re into that outfit. That’s really unfortunate.”

Jeopardy! returned for Season 42 on Monday, September 8, and airs weekdays at 7 PM PST.