‘Jeopardy!’ fans left stunned when contestants can’t identify award-winning actor
“Jeopardy!” fans were left screaming at their screens during a recent episode of the game show.
On Monday’s episode, Ryan Sharpe and Kelsi Tyler faced off against previous winner Paolo Pasco. And they all failed to identify James Earl Jones in a category about clues related to “Sesame Street.”
Halfway through, the show’s host, Ken Jennings, introduced Oscar the Grouch.
“Throughout the years, lots of people have stopped by ‘Sesame Street’ like Alex Trebek and Ken Jennings,” the Muppet explained from his trash can. “Why can’t they leave a grouch alone? But, the very first was this guy, who recited the alphabet for us.”
A black and white photo of a young Jones, who died in 2024 at age 93, appeared on screen.
Ken Jennings hosting “Jeopardy!” Jeopardy!/YouTube
James Earl Jones. Getty Images
The image was from when the late actor guest-starred on the children’s show.
However, none of the contestants answered in time and the buzzer went off.
“That’s James Earl Jones,” Jennings, 51, said.
When the clip was shared on the “Jeopardy!” Instagram account, viewers rushed to the comments section to chime in.
James Earl Jones guest stars on “Sesame Street.” Getty Images
“So excuse me, you know Rocco the Rock but you don’t know James Earl Jones? I weep,” one follower exclaimed, while a second added, “Literally how did not a single one of them not know THEE James Earl Jones!?”
“Nobody knew James Earl Jones, straight to jail,” rounded out a third person.
“The way I screamed JAMES EARL JONES to my phone multiple times,” an enraged viewer shared.
Jones had a decadeslong career, getting his start as Dr. Jerry Turner on the soap opera “As the World Turns” in 1956.
James Earl Jones accepts the Life Achievement award during the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. Getty Images
He held the role until 2010.
Jones went on to star as Dr. Jim Frazier in “Guiding Light” for 268 episodes starting in 1996.
The television vet also appeared in “The Sandlot,” “Coming to America” and “Field of Dreams.”
Jones also famously voiced Darth Vader in the “Star Wars” franchise and voiced Mufasa in Disney’s “The Lion King” in 1994.
James Earl Jones celebrates his 80th birthday by blowing the candles out on his cake at the Golden Theatre on Jan. 17, 2011. Getty Images
This isn’t the first time “Jeopardy!” fans have been up in arms in recent months.
In June, the audience was left divided after a contestant’s winning response was shockingly tied to her famous ancestor.
While on the long-running ABC show at the time, contestant Emily Croke answered a question correctly and became the champion.
A clip from a July 2025 “Jeopardy!” episode. abc / Jeopardy!
However, she was given a clue by Jennings that referenced her ancestor.
The prompt read: “In 1895, the Vassar-educated wife of this man wrote, ‘Thousands of dollars may be paid for a copy of Shakespeare.’”
Croke wrote down the correct answer, “Folger,” prompting Jennings to ask her about her decision.
She then revealed that the woman referred to in the clue had been her “great, great, great-aunt Emily.”
Visibly stunned, Jennings asked, “Emily Folger, the one we mentioned in the clue is the person you, Emily Croke, are named after?”
A clip from “Celebrity Jeopardy!” Jeopardy! / Youtube
A shot from the Aug. 29, 2023 episode of the game show. YouTube/@jeopardy
“Yes,” Croke admitted, to which the host stated, “Wow.”
Croke ended her run with a total of $13,201.
On Instagram, Croke’s stroke of luck was called “the most amazing coincidence in the history of ‘Jeopardy!’” by one commenter.
“What are the odds of that happening?” a second social media user inquired.
“How is anyone not a family member supposed to deduce the correct reply? What am I missing?” wrote one confused fan.
News
Charlie Kirk Shot Dead: Disturbing Videos Emerge, Capturing the Final Moments Before His Shocking Death—What Was Really Behind the Attack? Unseen Footage Leaves Viewers Gripped with Horror and Questions!
Chilling videos capture moment Charlie Kirk was shot dead in Utah: Blow-by-blow account Charlie Kirk, the chief executive officer and co-founder of the conservative youth organisation Turning Point USA, was shot dead on Wednesday at an event at a Utah Valley University. This screen grab from a video by Amy King shows right-wing youth activist […]
Elite sniper breaks down Charlie Kirk assassin’s sick plot… and reveals tiny detail everyone’s missed
Elite sniper breaks down Charlie Kirk assassin’s sick plot… and reveals tiny detail everyone’s missed: The gun. The planning. And his critical slip One of America’s greatest-ever snipers has revealed how he believes Charlie Kirk’s assassin pulled off the brutal killing. Sergeant Nicholas Ranstad broke down the shooting in minute detail based on his raft […]
Charlie Kirk, MAGA Star, Dies Mysteriously at 31: Explosive Details Unravel About Tragic Death at Utah Campus—FBI’s Botched Arrest and Trump’s Shocking Promise of ‘Ultimate Punishment’ Sends Shockwaves Worldwide!
Charlie Kirk assassin’s ammunition ‘engraved with transgender and antifascist’ messages Federal authorities were scouring a Utah college town for the lone gunman who shot and killed conservative influencer Charlie Kirk in a terrifying scene that shocked the nation on Wednesday. Kirk, 31, was speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem at around 12.20pm when he was suddenly shot in the […]
Gunman’s escape route revealed as police update Charlie Kirk killer
Fury at CNN for calling ‘transgender messages’ on Charlie Kirk assassin’s bullet ‘cultural phrases’: Live updates CNN has sparked fury among Americans for avoiding reference to the ‘transgender messages’ found on bullets inside the rifle used by Charlie Kirk’s assassin. The left-wing outlet instead referred to the engravings as ‘a range of phrases related to cultural […]
His Wife Abandoned Him and their Twin Girls, Unaware they will Later Become Billionaires
The little girls cried loudly as her mother threw them on the bed and began packing her clothes into a bag. Her face was tight with anger like someone ready to fight the whole world. Mr. Peter, her husband, said gently, “The babies are crying. They need their mother.” But Linda answered in a cold […]
The Millionaire’s Son Never Walked – Until He Saw the New Black Maid Do the Unbelievable
The Whitmore estate sat like a crown upon the hills, a mansion carved from marble and dreams. Visitors often compared it to a palace with its sweeping staircases, golden chandeliers, and gardens sculpted so perfectly that they seemed lifted from a royal painting. To outsiders, it looked like paradise. But behind those shimmering windows and […]
End of content
No more pages to load
