Mayim Bialik has admitted that she wants to host "Jeopardy" on a permanent basis.
Last week it emerged that the "Big Bang Theory" star and Ken Jennings would be sharing hosting duties for the remainder of 2021 but in a new interview with Glamour, Bialik said "it's very clear" she wants the gig full time.
"There's no other job I would rather have," the actress said. "I love my sitcom work, I do. I love all the other things I do. I love the podcast. But I absolutely have never had a better job."
Bailik was initially named the popular game show's host following Mike Richards' ousting but shortly after, Sony Pictures said that she and Jennings would split hosting duties according to their schedules. As a trained neuroscientist as well as a veteran actor who is currently starring on Fox's "Call Me Kat," finding the time to fit it all in was tricky for Bailik, who guest hosted episodes in May and taped several episodes to air over two weeks. Despite this, she told Glamour it did not stop her from wanting the role as a permanent "Jeopardy!" host.
"It really was after those two days that I realized I had never wanted anything more than that job," she said of guest-hosting the show earlier this year. "I'm not a person who leans deeply into intuition. I wish that I was. But this was a case where I intuitively felt something very special had happened for me in my life."
Bailik recounted spending long days on her feet filming but after wrapping filming up, she told the crew "I don't want to leave. I really don't want to leave."
"It's not easy work. But there was something really special that I felt there, and I can't explain it," she said.
Elsewhere in the interview, Bailik also spoke about taking over the vacant spot left by beloved host Alex Trebek, who died Nov. 8, 2020, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. After his death, "Jeopardy!" introduced a revolving door of celebrity guest hosts until a permanent replacement was found.
In August, the show introduced Richards as its permanent host but days later he stepped down after offensive and sexist comments he made on a podcast several years ago resurfaced. Many fans have been unhappy with how things have unfolded in wake of Trebek's death and questioned Sony's subsequent decision's regarding the show's new hosts. Responding to this, Bailik said she was just trying to do her best.
"What I'd like to say is: I'm not part of a lot that goes on, but the part that I am part of, I hope shows the dedication I have to his legacy, to this job, to the 'Jeopardy!' brand," she said. "I'm trying to do my job with integrity and consistency. That's really all I'm interested in doing."
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