'Jeopardy!' under fire over 'woke' question about pronouns

"Jeopardy!" fans are in an uproar over a clue presented on Monday's episode.

In the category "Speech! Parts of Speech!," one of the contestants selected the $600 clue, which, as host Ken Jennings read, was "xem, xyrs, xemself." The same contestant buzzed in to answer "What are pronouns?," and Jennings awarded him the money, saying, "Those are pronouns, neopronouns."

The prefix "neo" means "new" — neopronouns are new pronouns, typically ones that are used to avoid "he" or "she."

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"Jeopardy!" host Ken Jennings read the controversial clue that sent some fans into a tizzy. (Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images)

The show moved on quickly, with Jennings and the contestants jumping to the next question, but many viewers were surprised to see a clue about neopronouns on the game show.

"So, in order to win at Jeopardy, you need to be able to keep up with whatever bull the wokes are coming up with?" one person asked on X.

Another former fan said they are "done" with "Jeopardy!," and one said that if they were asked the question, "I would answer by turning off the television, never watching that effing show again."

Contestant Chris correctly answered the clue about pronouns. (Jeopardy!/Sony Pictures Television)

"So much for Jeopardy," a complaint read. "The woke crowd has claimed another. That's OK. I have my King James Bible to read. Like God, that will never change."

Several viewers brought up Alex Trebek, the longtime host who died in 2020 after battling pancreatic cancer. The suggestion was that Trebek never would have agreed to such a question being presented on the show.

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"They didn’t waste time making Alex start spinning in his grave; did they?" a fan wrote. Another asserted that "Jeopardy died with Alex Trebek."

One more former fan insisted, "I will NEVER watch Jeopardy after this. After Alex, it all went downhill."

Alex Trebek was the host of "Jeopardy" for 37 seasons prior to his death in 2020. (Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images)

But other fans applauded the clue. One person wrote, "Jeopardy just had a question about neo pronouns & it's probably silly of me, but that was so exciting to see. And it wasn't treated like a joke, either."

Another commented, "I don’t really get the outrage on this one. It’s a good Jeopardy! question because those are a confusing example of pronouns that would take most people time to realize what part of speech they are."

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Thousands of X users are discussing the moment. Popular account Libs of TikTok shared the clip of the pronoun question, and so far it's been liked 12,000 times and retweeted 3,000 times. The video has over a million views.

Jennings has been hosting "Jeopardy!" solo after Mayim Bialik's departure. (Eric McCandless/ABC)

Before this controversy, "Jeopardy!" fans made another clip from the show go viral for a much more innocuous reason.

During an episode last week, contestants were shown a picture of an American figure skating legend with the clue, "At the Winter Olympics, this American won gold with a four-and-a-half-minute program that featured multiple triple jumps." The photo was of Scott Hamilton.

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Deb Bilodeau, who had $2,000 at that point, guessed, "Who is Mary Lou Retton?"

Jennings first began hosting "Jeopardy!" in 2021. (Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images)

Those watching the classic quiz show at home were delighted with the answer and had some fun at Bilodeau’s expense.

"SOMEONE ON JEOPARDY JUST THOUGHT A PHOTO OF SCOTT HAMILTON WAS MARY LOU RETTON I'VE BEEN WHEEZING FOR FIVE MINUTES," one "Jeopardy!" fan wrote on X.

Someone else wrote that they "spit out a mouthful of wine."

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"Rough night for ol’ Scott Hamilton on Jeopardy," one more fan chimed in.

Fox News Digital's Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.