Since joining Jeopardy! as its host following the death of Alex Trebek, Mayim Bialik has spoken about the attention viewers pay to her wardrobe choices. Trebek’s dark suits — as well as her co-host Ken Jennings’ outfits, for that matter — don’t vary as much as her own clothing day-to-day, so those discussions are feedback that her male counterparts have not had to deal with. Apparently, though, it’s not just the fans who are speaking out about what The Big Bang Theory alum wears, as the game show host said her own mother has lots of thoughts about it as well.
The Call Me Kat star was originally hired by the producers to serve as host for the show’s tournaments and prime-time spinoffs. However, after some drama surrounding the search to replace Alex Trebek, Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings were named co-hosts of the daytime program ahead of its current season. Bialik told James Corden on The Late Late Show that her mother started watching the show to support her daughter in the best way she knew how, saying:
She will send me screenshots of every episode in case I forgot what I was wearing in that particular episode and I’ll get a little report like, ‘I really like this blazer, not so crazy about this top.’
Getting your outfits nitpicked is SUCH a mom thing, and apparently it’s something that doesn’t go away! Perhaps this is why Mayim Bialik is so sensitive to online critics’ assessments of her wardrobe? It’s all starting to make sense now! What’s particularly hilarious is the amount of time that passes between when the host films an episode of Jeopardy! and when it airs, so there’s really nothing the host can do about the items that are deemed less than ideal.
Mayim Bialik has gotten a lot of feedback since taking on the herculean task of following in Alex Trebek’s footsteps, with some of the suggestions more constructive than others. Producers gave Bialik a “great note” about her tone when confirming a contestant’s correct response, and EP Michael Davies helped her make an adjustment to her introduction that served Jeopardy!’s authenticity.
On the other hand, she’s gotten some straight-up nasty comments from fans regarding her looks, and the show’s fandom pulled no punches in letting her know how they felt about her using the phrase “Single Jeopardy!” for the opening round of play, rather than just “Jeopardy!”
While Ken Jennings is serving as host for the first part of Season 39, Mayim Bialik will take over in January 2023, following a holiday hiatus. She can currently be seen hosting Celebrity Jeopardy! — featuring a wild new game format — which airs at 8 p.m. ET Sundays on ABC. Be sure to check out our 2022 TV schedule to keep up with all of the upcoming television and streaming premieres.