“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have been part of the Jeopardy! family,” Bialik added. “For all of you who have supported me through this incredible journey and to the fans, contestants, writers, staff and crew of America’s Favorite Quiz show, thank you.”
Bialik, 48, joined the show in 2021 as a guest host before being made a permanent co-host last year along side Ken Jennings, after the death of longtime quizmaster, Alex Trebek. He died age 80 of pancreatic cancer and had been a staple presence in millions of American homes.
The search for Trebek’s successor was somewhat fraught, with former executive producer Mike Richards briefly stepping in before standing down amid controversy about offensive comments he had made in previous years. The loss of Bialik has thrown the popular game show into further uncertainty.
At the time of Bialik and Jennings’s duo appointment in July, executive producer Michael Davies said he was aware viewers “value consistency, so we will not flip flop the hosts constantly,” adding that both Bialik and Jennings had “been a joy to work with.” He also said larger audiences had been tuning in, with the show attracting over 27 million viewers each week.
“Thank you Mayim for everything! You and Ken were a great tag team,” wrote one fan online. “She will be missed,” wrote another.
Bialik had been absent from the show for a few months, prompting speculation about her future. Earlier this year, Bialik declined to appear on the show, in solidarity with the WGA writers strike, and later the SAG-AFTRA strike, the Associated Press and Variety reported. Bialik recently told Vanity Fair she is “a union supporter — pretty much all unions and what they fight for.”
Bialik, a neuroscientist who has been in the spotlight for her past comments on vaccines, is a familiar face to fans, appearing in CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory,” the NBC show “Blossom” and the Fox sitcom “Call Me Kat.”She has also hosted a run of prime-time “Celebrity Jeopardy!” specials on ABC.
In her leaving statement Bialik also said she had been “incredibly honored” to have been nominated for a prime time Emmy for “Outstanding Host For A Game Show.”
The show also released a statement on Instagram, confirming Bialik’s departure.
“We made the decision to have one host for the syndicated show next season to maintain continuity for our viewers,” it said, adding that, going forward, “Ken Jennings will be the sole host.”
“We are truly grateful for all of Mayim’s contributions to Jeopardy!, and we hope to continue to work with her on prime time specials,” it added.
Sonia Rao contributed to this report.