Ken Jennings’ Net Worth: How Much the ‘Jeopardy!’ Star Makes

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Ken Jennings Earned the Big Bucks on ‘Jeopardy!’ See the Game Show Star’s Profound Net Worth

Ken Jennings became a complete game show sensation following his run on Jeopardy! in 2004. Since then, he’s continued to captivate the world with his incredible trivia skills, competitive spirit and championship titles. Ken’s impressive run on the iconic program earned him a more profound net worth than one might think.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, the Washington native is worth an estimated $4 million. Considering Ken cemented his spot as a “household name during his record 74-game winning streak, the longest in Jeopardy! history,” according to ABC, it’s no surprise he has a ton of money in his bank account.

During his memorable run on the series, Ken took home a total of $3,370,700, the network reported. He garnered another $1 million, bumping his total earnings up to nearly $4.4 million, when he won The Greatest of All Time title. Ken beat fellow Jeopardy! legends Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer in the game show special in 2020.

Ken has made a pretty penny on other TV shows too. In addition to taking home more than $500,000 for his stints on Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? and Grand Slam, Ken most recently appeared alongside Brad and James in the new ABC series The Chase.

“Each hour-long episode is a fast-paced battle of brain power, where contestants are challenged to think faster than they ever thought possible to answer up to 166 questions across all topics,” the press release read.

The beloved star is also a guest host for the new season of Jeopardy!, which premiered in early January 2021. Ken, as well as Katie Couric, Aaron Rodgers, Bill Whitaker and Mayim Bialik, are hosting the show following Alex Trebek‘s death. The iconic frontman died at age 80 following a battle with pancreatic cancer in November 2020.

In addition to being on TV, Ken earned some cash thanks to his work as an author. So far, he’s written multiple books, including Ken Jennings’s Trivia Almanac, Maphead, Because I Said So! and The Junior Genius Guides. He’s also starred in multiple commercials for companies like FedEx, Allstate, Microsoft, Cingular, IBM and H&R Block, among others.

Prior to finding fame and fortune on Jeopardy!, Ken was working as a software engineer for a Salt Lake City health care staffing company. Everything changed, though, when Ken received a call that he was chosen to appear as a contestant on Jeopardy! in June 2004. What a run!