“Good Morning American” host George Stephanopoulos is the latest celebrity to step behind the famous podium that was once the home of the late Alex Trebek on “Jeopardy!”
And like many of the guest hosts before him, Stephanopoulos experienced a learning curve when taking on the important responsibility of hosting the popular quiz show. He talked about this with “GMA” on Monday, July 12. That date happens to be when his first episode as the guest host of “Jeopardy!” hits the small screen.
And, according to what Stephanopoulos had to say, the clues on “Jeopardy!” and more than just questions read off of a famous gameboard. Those questions are actually more of an art form in themselves.
“I went into the writers’ room where they write the clues,” the “GMA” anchor first shared. “You know all the writers have been there for years and years and years.”
Getting to meet those writers, led George Stephanopoulos to develop a great respect for them. Also, he shared the advice about hosting “Jeopardy!” that those experienced writers shared with him.
“And they put so much work into making sure that each word is precise,” the anchor and former White House communications director said. “And they say you really have to read each clue as if it’s poetry – to make sure you’re really giving a sense of the meaning.”
Stephanopoulos Said Hosting Quiz Show Was ‘A Lot of Fun’
George Stephanopoulos then went on to share his thoughts about what it was like to be one member of the small group of people who have hosted “Jeopardy!” since legendary host Alex Trebek passed away from cancer during November 2020.
“(Hosting ‘Jeopardy!’) was just a real learning experience and a lot of fun,” George Stephanopoulos told his “Good Morning America” colleagues.
He also said that the most difficult part of hosting the show was “moving things along.”
“They really just want everything to keep going, going, going, going, going,” he shared. “The dirty little secret is – have you ever noticed that the host isn’t on camera all that much? … When you make a mistake you can redo.”
You can watch George Stephanopoulos talk about “Jeopardy!” on “Good Morning America” below. His comments about reading “each clue like poetry” begin around the 2:15 mark of the video.
George Stephanopoulos Will Be Followed as Host of ‘Jeopardy!’ By Robin Roberts, LeVar Burton, David Faber, and Joe Buck
According to the “Jeopardy!” website, the hosting tenure of George Stephanopoulos will take place from Monday, July 12, through Friday, July 16. The charity that will benefit from his time on the show is Share Our Strength.
Following his time as guest host, his fellow “Good Morning America” host Robin Roberts will host From July 19 through July 23. Her charity of choice is Be the Match.
Up next on “Jeopardy!” after Roberts will be LeVar Burton (from July 26 through July 30); David Faber (from Aug. 2 through Aug. 6), and Joe Buck (from Aug. 9 through Aug. 13).
