‘Jeopardy!’: Ken Jennings Responds to Previous Champion Spending Prize Money on an Oil Portrait of Herself and Her Dog
Previous Jeopardy! champion Kate Kohn stayed true to her promise to champion-turned-host Ken Jennings. He responded positively to her follow-up tweet, but it’s the fans of the TV show who truly love every minute of this throwback to a promise that she actually followed through on. Here’s a look at the promise Kohn made on Jeopardy!, what Jennings had to say back to her, and how the fans are responding to the social media callback.
‘Jeopardy!’ champion Kate Kohn made a promise to Ken Jennings
Jeopardy! fanatics might recognize Kohn from season 38, where she was a one-time champion. She returned home with $21,000 after competing on episodes 8505 and 8506 in Nov. 2021. Mayim Bialik hosted the first of the two Jeopardy! episodes, while Jennings hosted the second. She first competed against Sri Kompella and Jeff Smith. Then, she faced off against Dane Reighard and Elena Passarello.
Kohn took to Twitter to remind the world of what she told Jennings when she returned home a Jeopardy! champion. She also attached an image of the proof with her holding onto an oil painting of herself and her dog that she once said she’d have commissioned with her prize money.
“Last year, I had the immense privilege of achieving my childhood dream of winning Jeopardy!,” Kohn wrote. “On my second (and final) day I told Ken Jennings I would commission a Renaissance-style portrait of myself and my dog with the winnings. I’m a woman of my word.”
She followed the tweet with a link to the artist’s Etsy, who is available for further art commissions.
‘Jeopardy!’ icon Ken Jennings responded to Kate Kohn’s oil painting
Jennings caught wind of Kohn’s tweet and responded on Twitter to her fulfilling her Jeopardy! promise. It’s clear that he didn’t forget about this conversation with the champion a year prior, which audiences love to see. After all, Jennings himself is no stranger to making quite the social impact from starring on the show.
“I love that the background here is a nod to the Jeopardy! set colors,” Jennings responded.
Jennings’ Twitter followers quickly followed up with plenty of additional love for both the painting and Jenning’s response. One response even suggested that Kohn should frame the oil painting in a “regal-looking” frame that matches the dog’s extravagant collar in the artwork.
Social media responds with pure joy
Kohn also took her Jeopardy! image aimed at Jennings onto Reddit. One user explained that they wanted to keep the gag running, noting that they would spend their winnings on an oil painting of them holding Kohn’s oil painting. This would be a hilarious running joke to see run concurrent to the show with those in on the joke.
Other responses also picked up on Jennings’ comment that the background colors match the Jeopardy! set to perfection. There isn’t a doubt that Kohn is displaying legendary behavior here, bringing her infectious energy from the television show right to social media.
