History of Ken Jennings in Timeline

Ken Jennings is an American game show host, author, and former contestant, renowned for his association with Jeopardy!. Born in Washington and raised abroad, he previously worked as a computer programmer. In 2004, Jennings achieved fame with a record-breaking 74-game winning streak on Jeopardy!, becoming the highest-earning American game show contestant and significantly boosting the show's popularity.

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Full Timeline

May 23, 1974: Ken Jennings Born

On May 23, 1974, Kenneth Wayne Jennings III was born in Edmonds, Washington. He is known as a game show host, former contestant, and author.

1996: Ken Jennings Transfers to BYU

In 1996, Ken Jennings transferred to Brigham Young University (BYU).

2000: Ken Jennings Graduates from BYU

In 2000, Ken Jennings graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) with a double major in English and computer science.

2003: Ken Jennings Takes Jeopardy! Exam

In 2003, Ken Jennings took the contestant exam for Jeopardy! and prepared extensively for his taping.

January 2004: Tom Walsh Sets Winning Streak Record

In January 2004, Tom Walsh set a record winning streak on Jeopardy!, winning $186,900 in eight games, after a rule change allowed contestants to remain on the show as long as they continued to win.

June 2, 2004: Ken Jennings's Jeopardy! Run Begins

On June 2, 2004, Ken Jennings's run on Jeopardy! began during the show's 20th season. He unseated two-time returning champion Jerry Harvey.

September 20, 2004: Tournament of Champions Airs

From September 20, 2004, through October 1, 2004, Jeopardy!'s Tournament of Champions aired, interrupting Jennings's run.

October 1, 2004: Tournament of Champions Ends

Jeopardy!'s Tournament of Champions concluded on October 1, 2004, interrupting Jennings's run.

November 2, 2004: No Jeopardy! Episode Airs

On Tuesday, November 2, 2004, due to the 2004 United States presidential election, no first-run episode of Jeopardy! was scheduled.

November 10, 2004: College Championship Airs

From November 10, 2004, to November 23, 2004, Jeopardy!'s College Championship aired, interrupting Jennings's run.

November 23, 2004: College Championship Concludes

On November 23, 2004, Jeopardy!'s College Championship concluded. Jennings's run was interrupted.

November 30, 2004: Ken Jennings Loses on Jeopardy!

On November 30, 2004, Ken Jennings lost his 75th game on Jeopardy! to challenger Nancy Zerg, ending his winning streak. He incorrectly answered the Final Jeopardy! question.

December 1, 2004: Ken Jennings Guest Appearance on Jeopardy!

On December 1, 2004, Ken Jennings made a guest appearance at the start of Jeopardy!, during which Alex Trebek acknowledged his success and enumerated his broken game show records.

2004: Ken Jennings Gains Fame

In 2004, Ken Jennings became a household name and guested on television programs after his Jeopardy! run.

2004: 74 Consecutive Jeopardy! Wins

In 2004, Ken Jennings won 74 consecutive Jeopardy! games before being defeated by Nancy Zerg.

November 2005: Six Degrees of Ken Jennings Column

In November 2005, Ken Jennings began writing "Six Degrees of Ken Jennings", a column in Mental Floss magazine where he connected two wildly different things in six steps.

2005: Ken Jennings Participates in Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions

In 2005, Ken Jennings rejoined Jeopardy! for the 15-week, 75-show Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions, winning the $500,000 second-place prize.

2005: Comedy Central Game Show Project

In 2005, Ken Jennings was slated to host a new game show for Comedy Central, but the project later stalled in development.

2005: Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions

In 2005, Ken Jennings won a $500,000 second-place prize in the Jeopardy! Ultimate Tournament of Champions.

2005: Jeopardy!: An Inside Look at America's Favorite Quiz Show DVD Release

In 2005, Ken Jennings's losing episode could be seen on the DVD release of Jeopardy!: An Inside Look at America's Favorite Quiz Show.

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2005: Commercial Pitchman

In 2005, after his Jeopardy! fame, Ken Jennings signed with the United Talent Agency and engaged in several endorsements, including a deal with Microsoft to promote its Encarta encyclopedia software.

July 4, 2006: Launch of Trivia Tuesday

On July 4, 2006, Ken Jennings launched his weekly trivia newsletter, Trivia Tuesday, which contained seven questions.

2006: Potential Game Show

As of mid-2006, Ken Jennings was still shopping a potential game show titled Ken Jennings vs. the Rest of the World.

2006: Endorsements and Speaking Deals

In 2006, Ken Jennings continued endorsements with Cingular Wireless and was involved in speaking deals, while University Games produced a Can You Beat Ken? board game.

2006: NAQT Moderator

In 2006, Ken Jennings moderated at the NAQT High School National Championship Tournament in Chicago.

2006: Publication of Brainiac

In 2006, Ken Jennings published his first book, Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs, detailing his Jeopardy! experiences and trivia culture research.

2006: Game Show Appearances

In 2006, Ken Jennings taped a pilot for Million Dollar Pyramid and was a contestant on Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! and 1 vs. 100.

2006: American Crossword Puzzle Tournament Win

In 2006, Ken Jennings won the rookie division of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament.

December 2007: Marion Jones Stripped of Medals

In December 2007, Marion Jones was stripped of her medals. Jennings mentioned her last name in the Final Jeopardy! episode of June 2, 2004.

2007: Grand Slam Appearance

In 2007, Ken Jennings was a contestant on the game show Grand Slam.

October 2008: Appearance on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

In October 2008, Jennings regained the record after appearances on several other game shows, culminating with his results on an October 2008 appearance on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

2008: Appearance on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

In 2008, Ken Jennings appeared on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, where he had the option to risk a million dollar question.

2009: NAQT Moderator

In 2009, Ken Jennings moderated at the NAQT High School National Championship Tournament in Chicago.

October 2010: End of Six Degrees Column

In October 2010, Ken Jennings' column "Six Degrees of Ken Jennings" in Mental Floss magazine came to an end.

2011: Ken Jennings Participates in Jeopardy's "IBM Challenge"

In 2011, Ken Jennings participated in Jeopardy's "IBM Challenge" against Watson and Brad Rutter, winning $300,000 for second place.

2011: Jennings Asked to Run for Senate

In 2011, Ken Jennings recalled how in 2004, Democratic politicians Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid unsuccessfully asked him to run for the United States Senate from Utah.

2011: Jeopardy!'s IBM Challenge

In 2011, Ken Jennings won a $300,000 second-place prize in Jeopardy!'s IBM Challenge.

2012: Monica Thieu Wins College Championship

In 2012, Monica Thieu won the Jeopardy! College Championship. She later joined Ken Jennings's team in the 2019 Jeopardy! All-Star Games.

September 22, 2014: Controversial Tweet

On September 22, 2014, Ken Jennings received criticism for tweeting, "Nothing sadder than a hot person in a wheelchair."

2014: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Appearance

In 2014, Ken Jennings appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire during Guinness World Records Edition themed week, winning $100,000.

2014: Ken Jennings Participates in Jeopardy! Battle of the Decades

In 2014, Ken Jennings participated in the Jeopardy! Battle of the Decades tournament, where he placed second and won a $100,000 prize.

2014: Jeopardy! Battle of the Decades

In 2014, Ken Jennings won a $100,000 second-place prize in the Jeopardy! Battle of the Decades.

March 2015: End of Kennections in Parade

In March 2015, Parade magazine ceased publishing Ken Jennings' trivia column, Kennections, and removed links to archived quizzes.

November 10, 2015: Criticism for Tweet About Daniel Fleetwood

On November 10, 2015, Ken Jennings was criticized for tweeting a joke about the death of Daniel Fleetwood, a Star Wars fan who died of cancer.

December 2015: Fleetwood's Death

In December 2015, Daniel Fleetwood, a lifelong Star Wars fan, passed away shortly after seeing Star Wars: The Force Awakens due to his dying wish.

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2015: Matt Jackson Runner-up in Tournament of Champions

In 2015, Matt Jackson was runner-up in the Tournament of Champions. Jackson later joined Ken Jennings's team in the 2019 Jeopardy! All-Star Games.

2016: 500 Questions Appearance

In 2016, Ken Jennings was a contestant on the game show 500 Questions.

2016: Monica Thieu Eliminates Ken Jennings in 500 Questions

In 2016, Monica Thieu eliminated Ken Jennings in an episode of 500 Questions. They later became teammates in the 2019 Jeopardy! All-Star Games.

May 31, 2017: Jennings tweets joke involving Barron Trump

On May 31, 2017, Ken Jennings tweeted a joke about Barron Trump, the youngest son of President Donald Trump, referencing an image of Kathy Griffin holding a bloody mask modeled after the President. The joke sparked controversy and led to Jennings defending his statement.

September 7, 2017: Omnibus Podcast Debut

On September 7, 2017, HowStuffWorks unveiled a new show entitled Omnibus, co-hosted by Ken Jennings and John Roderick.

2017: @midnight Appearance

In 2017, Ken Jennings appeared on the game show @midnight.

March 2018: FleetWit Participation

As of March 2018, Ken Jennings actively participated in the trivia app FleetWit, answering 89 percent of questions correctly on average.

August 2018: Criticism for tweet about elderly woman and ALF

In August 2018, Ken Jennings was criticized for his tweet describing an elderly woman who tweeted about her deceased son's love for the 1980s television character ALF. Jennings referred to her as "This awful MAGA grandma is my favorite person on Twitter."

2019: Ken Jennings Participates in Jeopardy! All-Star Games

In 2019, Ken Jennings was a captain in the Jeopardy! All-Star Games, where his "Team Ken" finished second, earning him $100,000.

2019: Best Ever Trivia Show Debut

In 2019, Ken Jennings was one of eight recurring "Trivia Experts" for Best Ever Trivia Show.

2019: Jeopardy! All-Star Games

In 2019, Ken Jennings won a $100,000 second-place prize (his share of his team's $300,000 prize) in the Jeopardy! All-Star Games.

January 2020: Ken Jennings Wins Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time

In January 2020, Ken Jennings won the Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time tournament against Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer, receiving the title of "Greatest of All Time" and a $1,000,000 prize.

March 3, 2020: Washington State Legislature Congratulation

On March 3, 2020, the Washington State Legislature approved Senate Resolution 8704, congratulating Jennings for his achievements on game shows.

May 2020: LearnedLeague Participation

In May 2020, Ken Jennings' last active season in LearnedLeague (LL85) saw him finishing 5th in the A Rundle of the Laguna league.

September 2020: Ken Jennings Joins Jeopardy! as Consulting Producer

In September 2020, Ken Jennings signed on as a consulting producer for Jeopardy!'s 37th season.

October 29, 2020: Alex Trebek Tapes Final Episode

On October 29, 2020, Alex Trebek taped his final episode of Jeopardy! He had been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer.

November 8, 2020: Alex Trebek Dies

On November 8, 2020, Alex Trebek died from pancreatic cancer.

November 2020: The Chase Revival

In November 2020, Jennings was announced as one of the chasers on the ABC revival of The Chase.

November 2020: Guest Host Announcement

In November 2020, Ken Jennings was announced as the first in a series of guest hosts for Jeopardy! after Trebek's passing, with episodes scheduled to air starting in January 2021.

December 2020: Jennings Apologizes and Deletes Past Comments on Twitter

In December 2020, Ken Jennings issued an apology on Twitter for some of his past comments and subsequently deleted those comments.

2020: Ken Jennings Returns to Jeopardy!

In 2020, Ken Jennings returned to Jeopardy! as a producer and later as a guest host following the death of Alex Trebek.

2020: Ken Jennings Wins Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time

In 2020, Ken Jennings was awarded the first-place prize in Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time.

2020: Master Minds Appearance

In 2020, Ken Jennings was one of the six trivia experts on Best Ever's successor, Master Minds.

2020: Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time

In 2020, Ken Jennings won a $1,000,000 first-place prize in Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time.

2020: Tweet Controversy Resurfaces

In 2020, a controversial tweet from September 2014 by Ken Jennings resurfaced, leading to condemnation from disability rights activists.

January 2021: Jennings Defends Podcast Co-host Amidst Controversy

In January 2021, Ken Jennings faced controversy after defending his podcast co-host, John Roderick, who was under fire for a Twitter thread about making his daughter open a can of baked beans. This incident led to the resurfacing of controversial past tweets by Roderick.

February 19, 2021: End of Guest Hosting Stint

On February 19, 2021, Ken Jennings' initial stint as a guest host of Jeopardy! concluded, having aired episodes from January 11 to February 19.

November 16, 2021: Discontinuation of Trivia Tuesday

On November 16, 2021, after 800 quizzes, Ken Jennings discontinued his Trivia Tuesday newsletter due to increased commitments.

2021: Resumption of Hosting Duties

In 2021, Ken Jennings resumed hosting the daily syndicated program Jeopardy! alongside Mayim Bialik after Mike Richards was dismissed.

May 8, 2023: Jeopardy! Masters Premiere

On May 8, 2023, the Jeopardy! Masters series, hosted by Ken Jennings, premiered on ABC, featuring a tournament of six notable Jeopardy! champions.

May 11, 2023: Bialik's Withdrawal from Jeopardy!

On May 11, 2023, Mayim Bialik withdrew from Jeopardy! due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, leading to Jennings hosting the last 20 episodes of season 39.

May 2023: Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Appearance

In May 2023, Ken Jennings competed on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, winning $72,800 for the Equal Justice Initiative.

May 2023: Jennings hosts Jeopardy! Amidst Writers Guild Strike

In May 2023, during the Writers Guild of America strike, Ken Jennings hosted Jeopardy! after Mayim Bialik refused to film the final week. This decision led to assumptions that Jennings had crossed the picket line, but it was clarified that Jeopardy! was not under the same contract and Jennings was clear to work.