Jennings opened up to EW about Ding’s historic run, which came to an end on Monday after 31 consecutive wins.

How Ken Jennings felt about the prospect of *Jeopardy *champ Jamie Ding beating his all-time record

Jennings opened up to EW about Ding's historic run, which came to an end on Monday after 31 consecutive wins.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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April 30, 2026 11:54 p.m. ET

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- Ken Jennings has reacted to *Jeopardy *champ Jamie Ding's historic recent winning streak.

- Jennings currently holds the record for most consecutive games won on the show, with an astounding 74, where Ding finally lost on Monday after 31.

- Rather than jealousy over the prospect of someone like Ding beating that record, Jennings told EW, "I feel more empathy."

Ken Jennings says why fight? Unite!

The long-reigning *Jeopardy** *champ, who became the permanent new host of the classic game show in 2023, is opening up about a recent contender for the crown. The historic, 31-game winning streak of Jamie Ding, a 33-year-old self-described "bureaucrat and law student" from New Jersey, finally came to an end on Monday.

"I always get very excited when somebody's got a run," Jennings told * *on the red carpet at the opening day of the 2026 TCM Classic Film Festival. "I mean, selfishly, I want to see somebody beat my record, so I'm like, 'This could be it!'"

Jennings said he would be "excited" to see someone beat his all-time record of 74 consecutive games won during his storied 2004 run on the show. But could there be a twinge of jealousy at the prospect — was there when Ding started climbing the ranking?

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For Jennings, the answer to that question is a resolute no.

"If anything, I feel more empathy, because the pressure is on this guy, and very few people know what that pressure feels like," he shared. Jennings threw out the example of the recent crew of the Artemis II lunar mission. "I'm sure they're not rivals, you know? They're like, 'We're the only one who know what this feels like.'"

Cheekily, Jennings added, "The two greatest achievements in human history: walking on the moon and having a very long *Jeopardy* streak."

'Jeopardy' host Ken Jennings.

Christopher Willard/Disney

Jennings further explained that his new role as host, which he took over from the late Alex Trebek after an extended period rotating guest host trials, provides him with even more perspective on why he should cheer on winning streaks.

"I just know it's going to get the show a lot of attention. The viewers develop chemistry with the long-running player, but they're also excited for the challengers, because, who's going to be the one who beats him? It's kind of best case scenario for us, even when the games are not all that tight," he said.

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Jennings appeared at Los Angeles' annual festival dedicated to classic Hollywood cinema to host a live version of Kennections, the puzzle series he's contributed to Mental Floss for a number of years. He'll also introduce a screening of Christian Nyby's black-and-white sci-fi classic *The Thing From Another World *on Friday.

As for records, Jennings scarcely has reason to worry. Though Ding tied one of Jennings' gameplay records — getting 45 clues right in a single game — no other player has come close to his 74-game winning streak. The closest contender is Amy Schneider, who won 40 games in a row back in 2022.

*With reporting from Rance Collins*.

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Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Game”