Back in 2004, Ken Jennings wowed the world when he won 74 Jeopardy! games in a row, shattering records and amassing $2.5 million over his months-long stint as reigning champion. Since that time, the former software engineer has become a bestselling author and TV personality who’s currently sharing Jeopardy hosting duties with actress Mayim Bialik. But what about the game show GOAT’s personal life? Is he married? Here’s the inside scoop on Ken Jennings’ wife.
Ken And Mindy Jennings Have Been Married Since 2000
Married for more than two decades, the Jeopardy! champ and his wife, Mindy, were college sweethearts. The pair met while attending Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and tied the knot soon after they graduated.
The Jennings have two children together: Dylan, born in 2002, and Caitlin, born in 2006. Jennings says that his role as a father is always evolving, especially as his kids (now teens) get older. “Parenting is always a moving target: you’re really just responding to the current needs of the kid, which might be different [needs] than six months ago,” he explained in a 2021 interview with Yahoo! Life. “So it’s a lot of listening because the kid will tell you what you need—but it’s not going to be what you expect and it’s not what you remember you needing at their age.”
Jennings also says he’s grateful to have found success early on (he became a Jeopardy! champ in between the births of Dylan and Caitlin). “I was a perfectly happy suburban dad and computer programmer back in 2004, the year I turned thirty,” he told LifeHacker in 2018. “I was not expecting to win on Jeopardy! for six months straight and start a new career as a writer and professional know-it-all.”
Mindy Is Super Supportive Of Ken’s Career
Before Jennings hit it big as a game show champ, TV personality, and author of a dozen books, Mindy worked as a preschool teacher. Not surprisingly, she was thrilled when her husband started raking in the dough on Jeopardy!. But because the show taped its episodes months before they aired, she had to keep quiet about his winning streak. In fact, there was a period of time in which Mindy was the only person who knew about Jennings’ success.
“She was always my first call when I got back to the Sony parking garage,” Jennings revealed in a 2020 interview with Vulture. “None of my friends, family, or co-workers knew why I was sneaking away a few times a month.”
Mindy continued to support her husband as his career took off and he appeared on more Jeopardy! shows, including the Ultimate Tournament of Champions, IBM Challenge, Battle of the Decades, and All-Star Games. In 2020, he returned once again for Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time and ended up taking home the $1 million top prize. While Jennings once again kept his win a secret from his family and friends, he let Mindy in on the news right away. “I didn’t want her to divorce me. I told my wife immediately,” he said on Good Morning America.