Interim Jeopardy! host Mayim Bialik has been doing an excellent job on Jeopardy! in the opinion of many viewers, but the Big Bang Theory star getting the gig was not without its controversy. Bialik had previously come under fire when she revealed in a book that she didn't have her children vaccinated as newborns, and though she has since clarified that she's not an "anti-vaxxer," she's been labeled as such by many of her critics for years.
When Bialik served as a Jeopardy! guest host, there were some people on social media calling for her firing based on her perceived views on vaccinations. Bialik noticed the backlash, and recently addressed it in an interview for The Hollywood Reporter's TV Top 5 podcast. While it doesn't seem like it was a fun experience for Bialik, she does note how she learned from it and believes she handled it well. As she says about her social media critics:
"Oh, they had a great time! And look, I think it's really kind of incredible. And it was an absolutely fascinating turn of events to be kind of, like, raked over the coals for literally things that I said and have spoken about. You know what I mean? I mean, I literally wrote a book. Like, it's all there, and I think it's been a big learning curve, but also a really humbling one. I feel like I weathered it to the best of my ability. It definitely felt embarrassing to be on CNN about being the Jeopardy! host because my kids weren't vaccinated as newborns."
At the end of the day, Bialik realizes that she's not going to win over 100% of the Jeopardy! audience. She believes that everything that there is to be known about her is already out there and she will remain focused on doing her job with the hope that her performance will outweigh her personal controversies.
"I'm not everybody's cup of tea, and I totally get that. My goal is to blend into the podium as much as I can and have it not be about all of that other stuff. You will not find a human who doesn't have something that they've said, did or thought about, especially in this industry where everything is documented and documentable. You know, that's the nice thing about me. I really don't have secrets, people. It's all out there, and I've made a YouTube video about it already."
For more on Bialik's views on vaccines straight from the Jeopardy! host herself, you can watch the aforementioned YouTube video below. She explains how she has "never once said that vaccines are not valuable, not useful, or not necessary — because they are.” Bialik also clarifies that her children were vaccinated, but that it happened later than other children due to concerns about allergens within the vaccines. In the video, she also noted her plans to get the Covid-19 vaccine and has since been vaccinated.
Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings Will Continue Trading Hosting Duties
It was previously reported that Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings would continue to trade hosting duties throughout the rest of season 38 of Jeopardy!. They'll be serving in that capacity until filming wraps in July. A permanent host has not yet been named, but one of these two could very well end up getting the job full-time. It's also possible they'll continue to serve as co-hosts on a permanent basis.
Bialik and Jennings had both served as guests hosts alongside many other celebrities after the passing of Alex Trebek. Executive producer Mike Richards initially announced himself as the next permanent host before stepping down soon after due to widespread backlash. Bialik was initially on board to serve as host for the various tournaments and primetime specials.