'Jeopardy' viewers couldn't believe Ken Jennings using a brutal 2-word remark about a contestant

Among hosts on TV game shows, Ken Jennings of "Jeopardy!" is one known for being friendly and supportive towards contestants, and even apologized to a woman on the show over a sexist question and problematic answers to it. But he managed to offend hardcore "Jeopardy!" fans with his foot-in-the-mouth moment while trying to sound rational during the anecdote segment of the show. During an episode, a player named Lily St. Laurent had an interesting tale to tell about her teenage years when she was a "spelling bee veteran." The history student then recalled an embarrassing moment that scarred her memory in the 6th grade, according to The Mirror. St. Laurent recounted being part of the winning team and competing on the national level after reaching the top position during her school spelling bee competition.

However, St. Laurent admitted that she wasn't "in the mood" to take part in the event, and at this point Jennings teased and labeled her a "grumpy speller." She ignored the scathing comment and continued to narrate her ordeal. The contestant recalled feeling miserable due to an unintentional verbal gaffe, and she revealed that during the competition, she spelled the word 'dairy' as d-a-r. She confessed that she fixed her verbal error instantly, but that cost her team the event, as the rules didn't allow players to start over after making a mistake.

Jennings couldn't hold it in and acknowledged that the story seemed like a vain example of self-pity and pride. "I mean that’s a good story for people who like to see a snotty teen get some comeuppance in real time," he said. "So for a lot of us, we enjoyed that story, but I am sorry it happened to you," he added before moving on to another player's anecdote. Fans couldn't digest the rudeness in his tone and expressed their rage over the game host's remarks. "Me thinks Ken could improve his diplomatic small talk. Snotty teen & something akin to Schadenfreude - with an apology thrown in at the end to save grace," @kratzy_1 demanded on X. 

"Did Kennings just call Lily a snotty teen?" @TFHackett reacted. Despite receiving public support for her embarrassing tale, St. Laurent ended up in third position with $2. Her competitor, DeFrank, continued his winning streak on the third day as well, although initially he couldn't beat the others. The incident came after Jennings apologized to a female contestant over a 'sexist' and rude clue, according to People. 

During the “Complete the Rhyming Phrase” category, the veteran host read out, “Men seldom make passes at…" and the answer happened to be "Girls who wear glasses." Jennings then instantly apologized to a health program director who was the sole female contestant on the game show, wearing glasses. “Sorry, Heather,” he said. “Very,” contestant Will Wallace said in agreement. Jennings first guest-hosted the popular game show and slowly took over the permanent position in December 2023 after veteran host Alex Trebek passed away in 2021 due to pancreatic cancer.