Ken Jennings is apologizing.
O Danger! champion, consultant producer and future interim presenter, said in a series of messages on Wednesday that he tweeted “some uninspiring and insensitive things” over the years. He explained that many of the words “acted like jokes” in his head, but he was “discouraged to see how they were read on the screen”. He did not exclude them because he felt it would “cover up a mistake”, but said he did not keep everything he said in the past.
“Sometimes I said stupid things in a stupid way and I want to apologize to people who were (rightly!) Offended,” said Jennings. “It wasn’t my intention to hurt anyone, but it doesn’t matter; I blew it and I’m really sorry. “
In her final post on the subject, Jennings said: “If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that we should be kinder to each other. I look forward to entering 2021 with that in mind. “
Hey, I just wanted to acknowledge the fact that over the years on Twitter, I definitely tweeted some uninspiring and insensitive things. Sometimes they acted like jokes in my head and I was dismayed to see how they read on the screen. 1 / x
– Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) December 30, 2020
Jennings’ comments occur less than two weeks before he begins his journey as interim host for the Danger! after the death of former host Alex Trebek in November.
The announcement that Jennings would come up with clues came as no surprise to Danger! fans, who know him well. He competed for the first time in the program in 2003, when he participated in 74 consecutive games – the longest winning streak in the program’s history. In 2011, he played and lost to the IBM Watson computer. He hit mate Danger! champions James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter will win the show’s Gtest of all time prime time tournament. Jennings has become so associated with Danger! that he joined the program as a consulting producer and occasionally appeared to give clues when season 37 debuted in September.
This does not mean that everyone was happy with the announcement that Jennings would enter the role of Trebek, even if temporarily. Actress Yvette Nicole Brown and others on Twitter objected to the choice, citing their previous tweets. According IndieWire, Brown pointed to one of September 22, 2014 in which Jennings said, “Nothing is sadder than a hot person in a wheelchair.” He addressed the issue four years later, when someone retweeted his words. “I have never publicly flogged for this, but I have personally apologized to the angry / hurt people who have come personally,” said Jennings. “It was a joke so inept that it meant something very different in my head [and] I regret the simple reading capable of that. ”The tweet has already been deleted.
I have never been publicly flogged for this, but I have personally apologized to the angry / hurt people who have come personally. it was a joke so inept that it meant something very different in my head and I regret the simple and easy reading!
– Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) April 20, 2018
The program representatives could not be reached for comment.
Danger! is broadcasting a retrospective of Trebek’s best episodes throughout this week. As of January 4, viewers can watch the last week of episodes recorded by Trebek. The first of the episodes presented by Jennings is set to air on January 11.
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