Jeopardy! guest host Ken Jennings has apologised for ‘insensitive’ tweets he has posted in the past, after he was slammed for making ableist comments.
The 46-year-old quiz champ – who is replacing late television icon Alex Trebek on the game show following his death last month – took to Twitter on Thursday to address previous ‘failed’ jokes he’s made on the micro-blogging platform.
He wrote: ‘Hey, I just wanted to own up to the fact that over the years on Twitter, I’ve definitely tweeted some unartful and insensitive things. Sometimes they worked as jokes in my head and I was dismayed to see how they read on screen.
Apology: Jeopardy! guest host Ken Jennings has apologised for ‘insensitive’ tweets he has posted in the past, after he was slammed for making ableist comments
‘In the past, I’d usually leave bad tweets up just so they could be dunked on. At least that way they could lead to smart replies and even advocacy. Deleting them felt like whitewashing a mistake.
‘But I think that practice may have given the impression I stand by every failed joke I’ve ever posted here. Not at all!’
Although Jennings didn’t refer specifically to any particular posts, he acknowledged he had ‘screwed up’ and promised to ‘be kinder’ to others in 2021.
He continued: ‘Sometimes I said dumb things in a dumb way and I want to apologize to people who were (rightfully!) offended. It wasn’t my intention to hurt anyone, but that doesn’t matter: I screwed up, and I’m truly sorry.
Failed: Jennings – who is replacing late television icon Alex Trebek (pictured) on the game show following his death – took to Twitter on Thursday to address his previous ‘failed’ jokes
Kinder approach: Although Jennings didn’t refer specifically to any particular posts, he acknowledged he had ‘screwed up’ and promised to ‘be kinder’ to others in 2021
‘If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we should be kinder to one another. I look forward to heading into 2021 with that in mind. (sic)’
One month before his apology, Jennings was the focus of much outrage over a resurfaced tweet he posted in 2014 about ‘hot’ people in wheelchairs.
‘Nothing sadder than a hot person in a wheelchair,’ Jennings wrote at the time.
Jennings, who has since deleted the tweet, addressed the insensitive post in 2018, but the message has regained steam in light of his upcoming hosting role.
Jeopardy! record-holder: Quiz champ Jennings has won 74 games of the game show in a row
Resurfaced: His 2014 tweet first resurfaced in 2018, and Jennings addressed it at the time
Jennings said in 2018 he apologised ‘personally’ to those who reached out to him about the tweet, which he called an ‘inept’ joke.
‘I never did a public flogging thing for this but I did apologise personally to angry/hurt people who reached out personally,’ he tweeted at the time.
‘It was a joke so inept that it meant something very different in my head & I regret the ableist plain reading of it!’
With the resurfacing of the tweet, Jennings faced the wrath of angry Twitter users hurt and angered over his original post.
Renewed outrage: Jennings faced renewed outrage over the tweet when he was announced as one of Jeopardy’s incoming guest hosts
Objections: Twitter users flooded the micro-blogging platform with their objections last month
Actress Yvette Nicole Brown even weighed in on the controversy as she posted a link announcing his guest hosting role. ‘Nope,’ she tweeted along with the story.
When asked why Yvette disliked the selection, she replied, ‘Peep his old tweets and get back at me.’
Jennings was announced as the first of a series of guest hosts replacing Trebek just a few days ago.
An official tweet revealed: ‘We will resume production on 11/30 with a series of interim guest hosts from the Jeopardy! family – starting with Ken Jennings. Additional guest hosts to be announced.’
Quiz: Jennings had been largely celebrated for his memorable role on the long-running show
Unimpressed: Actress Yvette Nicole Brown even weighed in on the controversy as she posted a link announcing his guest hosting role. ‘Nope,’ she tweeted along with the story
Jennings won 74 games of Jeopardy! in a row and claimed the show’s ‘Greatest Of All Time’ title in a competition last year.
A long-term host for Trebek, who passed away at age 80 following a battle with pancreatic cancer last month, will be named later.
Last month, Jennings paid tribute to Trebek as he was announced as the programme’s new guest host.
He said at the time: ‘There will only ever be one Alex Trebek, but I’m honoured to be helping Jeopardy! out with this in January.’
Icon: Alex Trebek passed away at age 80 following a battle with pancreatic cancer last month