Ken Jennings was born on May 23, 1974, in Edmonds, Washington. He spent his childhood overseas in South Korea and Singapore after his family moved when he was in first grade. His only connection to American pop culture during those years was the Armed Forces Network, where he watched Jeopardy!. Back in the United States, he attended the University of Washington and later transferred to Brigham Young University, double-majoring in English and computer science.

After college, Jennings worked as a software engineer at a healthcare staffing firm in Salt Lake City. Then, in 2004, he auditioned for Jeopardy! and went on to win 74 consecutive games — a record that still stands. He then returned to the show for a series of elite tournaments, winning the Greatest of All Time competition in 2020. 

In 2021, Ken Jennings returned as a guest host on the show after the death of long-time host Alex Trebek. In 2022, he was named as a permanent co-host alongside Mayim Bialik. When Bialik departed in late 2023, Jennings became the sole host. In addition to Jeopardy!, Jennings is also the sole host of the franchise’s primetime Celebrity Jeopardy!