Ken Jennings first appeared as a contestant on Jeopardy! on June 2, 2004, and his legendary 74-game winning streak ran from June 2 to November 30, 2004.

Quick Scoop: When was Ken Jennings on Jeopardy?

If youā€™re wondering ā€œwhen was Ken Jennings on Jeopardy?ā€ , there are two big phases to know: his time as a contestant and his later role as host.

1. Contestant era (the famous streak)

  • Ken Jenningsā€™ first aired game on Jeopardy! was on June 2, 2004.
  • His record-breaking 74-game winning streak lasted from June 2, 2004, through November 30, 2004, when he finally lost his 75th game.
  • During that run, he won more than 2.5 million dollars in regular-play winnings, making him one of the highest-earning American game show contestants.

Many fans still treat that 2004 run as the ā€œgolden ageā€ of Ken on Jeopardy!, since it turned him into a trivia celebrity almost overnight.

He later returned for special events, including the ā€œGreatest of All Timeā€ tournament in January 2020, where he faced James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter and won the title.

2. Hosting era (from champion to host)

  • After Alex Trebekā€™s death, Ken Jennings was announced as one of the guest hosts; his first guest-hosted episode aired on January 11, 2021.
  • He shared hosting duties with Mayim Bialik until midā€‘2023, then became the sole regular host of Jeopardy! starting July 3, 2023.
  • As of the midā€‘2020s, he continues in that hosting role, cementing his shift from contestant to longā€‘term face of the show.

3. Mini timeline

  1. 2003 ā€“ Auditions for Jeopardy! during a road trip.
  1. June 2, 2004 ā€“ First Jeopardy! appearance and start of the historic streak.
  1. November 30, 2004 ā€“ Streak ends after 74 wins.
  1. January 2020 ā€“ Wins the ā€œGreatest of All Timeā€ tournament.
  1. Januaryā€“February 2021 ā€“ Guest host run after Trebekā€™s passing.
  1. July 3, 2023 ā€“ Becomes solo permanent host.

4. Fast FAQ

  • Q: When was Ken Jennings on Jeopardy! as a contestant?
    A: Regular-play run from June 2 to November 30, 2004, plus multiple later tournaments.
  • Q: When did he start hosting Jeopardy!?
    A: Guest host in early 2021; full solo host from July 3, 2023.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.