Mayim Bialik Talks About the Negative Feedback She’s Received as a Jeopardy! Host

After long-time Jeopardy host, Alex Trebek’s death in 2020 from pancreatic cancer, fans of the game show wondered if any new host could measure up to Trebek.

After several guest stars filled in as interim hosts, Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik and 2004 Jeopardy winner Ken Jennings became the new regular hosts for season 38 of the show. Bialik recently spoke out about the criticism she constantly faces because of how easy it is to compare working mothers.

“Sometimes I get, ‘We don’t prefer you to Ken,’” Bialik said in a recent episode of Justin Longher’s podcast, “Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown.”

“Isn’t that wild,” Long stated. “Well, it’s probably the only profession that I can think of, or maybe politicians, where people will tell you deeply insulting things but with a big smile.”

Bialik stated people don’t hold back with her, feeling that they can say whatever is on their mind without any censorship.

“[People will tell you] exactly how they feel,” Bialik continued, saying that a typical comment she receives is one about her appearance. “Like, ‘I saw you in a magazine. I was very confused. You looked pretty.’ I get that a lot,’” she added.

Bialik has also been confronted with commentary about the clothing she wears on set–multiple people have said they’ve seen her in the same blazer more than once and that her style is rather “nerdy.”

“Most men wear suits when they go there, so yeah,” she stated. “The fact is we don’t live in a culture where I can wear a gray suit and then a blue suit, but maybe next year we’ll see. I don’t think anyone should think about it so much, especially me.”

Bialik cares very little about what she wears and has trouble understanding why other people care so much.

“I’m one of these people who think red carpets should have a standard set of dresses for women so we don’t have so many,” she stated. “You can do long sleeve or short sleeve — that’s it and everybody goes home.”

Bialik is definitely a person worth getting to know! You can learn more about her personality and all her quirks in the fun video below.