There’s a big change happening on Jeopardy!, and Mayim Bialik is speaking out amid the surprise announcement … sort of.
On May 11, Deadline shared that The Big Bang Theory alum made the decision to cease filming her final episodes in season 39 of the hit quiz show. She chose to temporarily step away as host as a nod of solidarity to those partaking in the Writers Guild of America (WGA) writers strike, which the outlet writes makes it “one of the first game shows” to be impacted by the Hollywood event. Despite Mayim’s decision, the show will finish filming the season, with Ken Jennings taking over as host for the week of May 16.
While this was happening behind the scenes, Mayim uploaded a personal TV moment on social media. She dropped a throwback clip on Instagram, taken from a 1988 appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show. As she promoted her film Beaches, she showed off her singing skills with an impromptu performance of the Tony Bennett song “The Glory of Love.”
“You’ve got to give a little, take a little. And let your poor heart break a little. That’s the story of, that’s the glory of love. ❤️,” she captioned it the same day as the Jeopardy! news, writing out the lyrics to the 1968 hit.
Although the Call Me Kat actress’ post wasn’t necessarily what people expected, they nonetheless loved seeing the sweet moment from early on in her career. “I will always remember you like this! I wanted to be your best friend!” one person wrote in the comments. “Gosh, what can’t Mayim do 😩🤍,” a different user asked. “Adorable! Genuine talent and brains to boot!” another follower added.
ICYMI, the current writers strike has caused a pause in production for a number of television shows. Aside from Jeopardy!, series like Cobra Kai, Stranger Things and Night Court currently stand halted until the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) reach a fair contract. In addition, the upcoming 2023 Tony Awards is in limbo on how to proceed after announcing the ceremony will not be televised on June 11.
The news of Mayim’s temporary exit from Jeopardy! comes a few days after Call Me Kat got canceled after three seasons. But for those worried she isn’t busy, the TV personality is still releasing new episodes of her podcast Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown weekly.
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As the entertainment and news editorial assistant for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey’s Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.