Ken Jennings offered an apology to a “Jeopardy!” contestant this week for a “problematic” clue that has been interpreted by some as sexist. However, others took issue with the host’s handling of the incident.
On Monday’s episode of the trivia show, the “Jeopardy!” host and game-show G.O.A.T. awkwardly delivered a clue in the “Complete the Rhyming Phrase” category.
“ ‘Men seldom make passes at,’ ” Jennings said, beginning the irreverent Dorothy Parker quote.
“What are ‘girls who wear glasses’?” contestant Will Wallace, a game design director, buzzed in.
“Yeah, a little problematic,” Jennings said on the heels of Wallace’s answer.
The contestant agreed with Jennings’ assessment of the famed poet’s 20th-century observation, replying, “very.” Wallace’s fellow competitor, health program director Heather Ryan, who chose the $400 clue, happened to be wearing glasses — a coincidence that prompted Jennings to say, “Sorry, Heather.”
Jennings and the contestants carried on with the game, with Wallace, who had been on a four-game winning streak, in third. Ryan finished the episode in second place, falling short of food-sales rep Ian Taylor.
Incidentally, it’s not the first time the adage — believed to be a witticism about Parker’s own romantic foibles — has been used on the show. The Parker quote has appeared in some form at least a dozen times since 1985, according to the fan-operated J! archive, though it hadn’t been used for more than a decade before showing up Monday.
The clue’s timing was not ideal. The episode, which was likely taped weeks in advance, aired days after two former Sony Pictures Entertainment employees filed gender and race discrimination lawsuits against “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune.” In response to the lawsuit, the game shows’ parent company said that the new leadership team on the shows was “dedicated to fostering a culture of inclusivity and respect” and that Sony “takes all allegations of discrimination very seriously.”
Representatives for “Jeopardy!” did not immediately respond Wednesday to The Times’ request for comment.
Although the “problematic” incident appeared short-lived in the episode, the discourse around it lived on social media.
“Rhyming phrases category was awful, especially the sexist clue,” one viewer wrote on Reddit in a discussion thread about the Oct. 28 episode.
“Frankly, I don’t need to hear Ken read an obviously outdated and inappropriate clue and then call it ‘problematic,’ ” another Redditor replied. “Maybe he can use his position to get it switched out before it goes out over the air.”
“It was a weird choice. There are plenty of other rhyming phrases to choose from that don’t make your contestants, your host, and your audience visibly uncomfortable,” another said.
“it was a bad clue and the writers should be shamed for it. That whole category sucked,” a Reddit user wrote in response to coverage of Jennings’ apology.
Still, the reception to the quote’s inclusion was mixed. Others praised its use and Parker’s history as an acerbic writer.
“That quote, in some way or another, has been referenced 12 times on Jeopardy!, according to J! Archive. That includes last night, which was the first such mention since 2013,” another Reddit user pointed out. “Given that history and Dorothy Parker’s prominence as a literary figure, I don’t have a problem with that quote being used as clue material. What I do take issue with is Ken’s comment. If he really did think this was problematic, the proper venue to raise that objection would’ve been in the morning production meeting with the writers. If he did so and it was dismissed, he shouldn’t have renewed it on stage.”
“Jeopardy viewers offended by famous Dorothy Parker quote, ‘Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses’ … It’s good to see that our pal Dot still has the power to disturb the complacent, all these many years later!” one X user said.
“We *want* remain pass less and will continue to wear our man repellent vision helpers, mostly so we can function, but also bc of the bonus Creeper Deterrents. #jeopardy #foureyes,” another wrote.
“Guys don’t make passes at whiny women who think Jeopardy! clues are ‘problematic,’ ” yet another wrote. “The glasses are the least of your problems.”