'Jeopardy!' Welcomes New Guest Host: '60 Minutes' Correspondent Bill Whitaker
CULVER CITY, Calif. (CBS) -- Bill Whitaker is set to host his "favorite show" starting Monday. The longtime journalist and "60 Minutes" correspondent is the latest guest host to take the reins of "Jeopardy!"
"Was I nervous? Yes," Whitaker said. "This is a totally different animal. I've been doing the journalism thing for more than 30 years and I could almost do it in my sleep. . . but this is different."
Whitaker is taking over for two weeks from his "60 Minutes" coworker Anderson Cooper. The other celebrity guest hosts slated to step up and fill in for the late Alex Trebek include Mayim Bialik, Savannah Guthrie, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, David Farber, Joe Buck and LeVar Burton.
Acclaimed journalist @BillWhitakerCBS is bringing you the clues this week as our next guest host! @MediaFellows @60Minutes pic.twitter.com/bL7Ct01til
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) May 1, 2021
A donation will be made to a charity of each guest host's choice, equal to the cumulative winnings of the contestants that compete while they're hosting. Whitaker's charity is Media Fellowship House.
Whitaker said "Jeopardy!" is his favorite show and one he watches every night with his wife. His goal for this guest hosting experience was a simple one.
"I just wanted to make sure that I didn't walk away from here looking like an idiot," he said.
"Jeopardy!" airs weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on WBZ-TV.