Alex Trebek’s Jeopardy! successor isn’t just apologizing for a bad tweet — he’s issuing a blanket apology for anything insensitive he’s ever tweeted!
On Wednesday, Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings apologized for “every failed joke” and “bad tweet” he has ever posted on the site, weeks after social media sleuths called him out over an old offensive tweet.
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The 46-year-old author — who is currently the temporary host of the game show in the wake of Trebek’s death — wrote to his over half-a-million followers in a Twitter thread:
“Hey, I just wanted to own up to the fact that over the years on Twitter, I’ve definitely tweeted some unartful and insensitive things. Sometimes they worked as jokes in my head and I was dismayed to see how they read on screen. In the past, I’d usually leave bad tweets up just so they could be dunked on. At least that way they could lead to smart replies and even advocacy. Deleting them felt like whitewashing a mistake. But I think that practice may have given the impression I stand by every failed joke I’ve ever posted here. Not at all!”
The contestant went on to say:
“Sometimes I said dumb things in a dumb way and I want to apologize to people who were (rightfully!) offended. It wasn’t my intention to hurt anyone, but that doesn’t matter: I screwed up, and I’m truly sorry.”
Jennings concluded his thread:
“If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we should be kinder to one another. I look forward to heading into 2021 with that in mind.”
The apology came after one of Jennings’ “insensitive” tweets from 2014 resurfaced in November, when he first took over as interim host of Jeopardy!. He wrote in the 6-year-old post:
“Nothing sadder than a hot person in a wheelchair.”
The game show champ actually apologized for that specific joke attempt in 2018, saying:
“I never did a public flogging thing for this but I did apologize personally to angry/hurt people who reached out personally. It was a joke so inept that it meant something very different in my head & I regret the ableist plain reading of it!”
The reaction to Jennings’ latest apology was mixed. Some users suggested that his apology was merely issued in case he takes Trebek’s place full time, while others applauded the trivia king for holding himself accountable.
The question is: does apologizing for everything wrong you’ve ever said kinda weaken the apology? Tell us what YOU think, Perezcious readers! Read Jennings’ full thread HERE and share your thoughts in the comments.
[Image via Nicky Nelson/WENN]
The post <i>Jeopardy!</i> Replacement Host Ken Jennings Apologizes For 'Bad' & 'Insensitive' Tweets! appeared first on Perez Hilton.