It’s not every day you get criticised for doing your job, but Ken Jennings has had exactly that this week.
The TV personality has been labelled a ‘scab’ (yes, really) by fans of Jeopardy, whilst regular host Mayim Bialik walked out in solidarity over the writers' strike.
Writers from various studios are understandably frustrated with Jennings’ actions and they haven’t held back, with some pretty creative responses.
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Many members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) had been frustrated with the lack of compensation when shows were streamed, resulting in lengthy talks between the union and studios.
When these failed, staff began a mass walk out on May 1 which affected major platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney and Warner Brothers.
It had been hoped that the strike would put pressure on the outlets, as late-night talk shows and various day-time TV was suspended.
Even long-running series like Stranger Things had been affected, with showrunners the Duffer Brothers saying how much they relied on their writers both before and during production.
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Having also written the film As They Made Us, presenter and actor Bialik was keen to join the picket line and stand with her fellow writers.
Whilst we admire her for standing up for her colleagues, sadly, it didn’t have quite the intended effect.
It had been hoped that NBC would air re-runs of Jeopardy as season 39 was unfinished.
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With The Big Bang Theory star gone, however, her co-host Jennings has stepped in to film the final episodes for this series.
The game show host’s actions have infuriated WAG union members, with many taking to social media to vent their frustration.
In one angry tweet, one writer said: “Last week I had the pleasure of picketing with a group of Jeopardy writers at Sony. I'm disappointed that @KenJennings has chosen to cross the picket line and disrespect the hard working people who wrote the questions that made him famous.”
Another agreed in a pointed post, which labelled the 48-year-old anchor ‘a scab’ on Twitter.
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It read: “@KenJennings is a scab. Props to Blossom for not crossing the #WGA picket line! #solidarity”
However, some fans have defended the contestant-turned-host saying: "Ken Jennings is not a writer and not even union. His work has absolutely nothing to do with the strike.”
They added: “Bialik voluntarily chose not to host, NOT AS A STRIKE ACTION, replacing her is not scabbing in any sense."
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With no end to the writers’ strike in sight though, Jennings may yet face more criticism.
Topics: Film and TV, US News, Entertainment, Celebrity
Katherine Sidnell