Last week, Mayim Bialik dropped the news that she will no longer be hosting the syndicated version of Jeopardy! where she shared hosting duties with Ken Jennings. While Jennings predominantly hosted the episodes, Bialik filled in as needed. That is no longer the case.
According to Bialik, the decision was made by Sony Pictures Television, who informed her of the decision heading into the holiday break. “I am incredibly honored to have been nominated for a primetime Emmy for hosting this year and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of the Jeopardy! family,” Bialik wrote on Instagram.
After the news of Bialik’s departure hit, speculation began spreading that she was fired for refusing to host episodes during the writers’ strike. According to new report from Puck, that appears to be the case:
Sony TV executive Suzanne Prete and executive producer Michael Davies were furious when Bialik said in May that she would step away from the final week of filming last season in solidarity with the show’s striking writers. After all, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune are well-oiled machines, requiring precise timing to make the show’s five-episodes-a-day schedule. Plus, Bialik wasn’t loved on set, and Sony had switched up shooting that season to accommodate her Fox sitcom, Call Me Kat.
However, Puck also reports that Bialik was offered the chance to “stay on for the rest of the reason,” but she passed. As for Bialik’s hosting duties on Celebrity Jeopardy! that is still up in the air. Bialik has not been let go from that production, but Puck speculates that she probably won’t stay following this recent move by Sony.
(Via Puck)
