It appears there was some drama going on behind the scenes of Jeopardy! when Mayim Bialik got fired!
In case you missed it, the 48-year-old actress revealed on social media last week she “will no longer be hosting” the popular game show. You can read her entire statement (below):
https://www.instagram.com/p/C05G11gPBwg/
A post shared by mayim bialik (@missmayim)
Fans were shocked by the news and clamored for answers as to why she suddenly got the boot. When Jeopardy! later confirmed the news on Instagram, they explained a decision was made to only “have one host for the syndicated show next season to maintain continuity for our viewers.” So, the show axed Mayim and kept former champion Ken Jennings as the sole host. Hmm. See (below):
https://www.instagram.com/p/C05SqLRRPz_/
A post shared by Jeopardy! (@jeopardy)
However, some are calling BS on the reason Jeopardy! gave — including entertainment journalist Matthew Belloni. In his weekly newsletter for Puck News, he claimed there were three major issues behind the scenes of the show that made parent company Sony “done with Mayim Bialik.” Whoa! What?!
One of the big reasons? The report claimed the Big Bang Theory star’s “actions during the strike were at least a contributing factor, according to three sources close to the show.” For those who don’t know, Mayim has not been on the show since May. She walked out on Jeopardy! to stand in solidarity with the Writer’s Guild of America when writers in Hollywood went on strike to campaign for better working conditions and fair wages. Good for her for standing with her show’s writers! But producers weren’t too happy about the decision.
Apparently, the strike came as the show was trying to wrap filming the previous season. So, when Mayim informed Sony TV executive Suzanne Prete and producers she wouldn’t film amid the strike, the team was allegedly “furious!” The report stated:
“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.”
Jeez. She and Ken initially were supposed to alternate and share the role of host. However, Ken ended up taking the majority of the episodes in Season 40 as a result of her absences amid the strikes, including episodes of Celebrity Jeopardy! that Mayim hosted alone in the past.
And that wasn’t the only factor into their decision. Belloni alleged Mayim “wasn’t loved on set.” Uh oh! However, no further details were given about the claim. He then claimed Sony had “switched up shooting” schedule the “ season to accommodate her sitcom” Call Me Kat, which has since been canceled. Producer Sarah Foss shared on the Inside Jeopardy! podcast in 2022 even suggested Mayim’s sitcom schedule caused a ton of last-minute changes, preventing her from returning as host:
“Originally, we did think Mayim would come back in January. Her Call Me Kat schedule, it evolved, so she’ll be back a little later than we anticipated. Mayim is a busy, busy woman! We’re excited to have her back.”
Sony eventually became fed up with Mayim, though! These incidents led to the parent company’s decision to part ways with the Beaches star. The report stated that they allegedly planned to fire at the start of Season 41, but she chose to leave now:
“Sony recently informed her that her services won’t be needed next season. She was offered the chance to stay on for the rest of this season, but she said no thanks.”
We guess it was better to fully end their working relationship now rather than wait until later! But it sounds like Mayim and Sony parted ways on some bad terms…
What do YOU think, Perezcious readers? Are you disappointed Mayim won’t be hosting Jeopardy!? Let us know in the comments (below).
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