Alex Trebek was supposed to be an impartial moderator during Pennsylvania's gubernatorial debate between current Gov. Tom Wolf (D) and Republican challenger Scott Wagner on Monday night. Instead, the Jeopardy! host came off like a pretentious politician himself, spewing Pennsylvanian factoids and even drawing some boos from the audience.
Trebek started out by declaring he would "not tolerate any booing or hissing — not even if you direct it at the candidates." But what was supposed to be a joke actually foreshadowed Trebek's own fate.
At the end of a debate filled with Eagles trivia and very specific Pennsylvania questions, Trebek turned Wolf's proposed severance tax on natural gas into a confusing tirade against partisanship. Wagner then tried to interject his own opposition, but Trebek quickly cut him off, announcing that he was "out of time."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In that moment, it became very clear that Trebek didn't have his silent Hollywood studio audience anymore. Wagner's crowd started booing the host and Trebek, seemingly a little peeved, brought up his earlier rule: "No booing or hissing, and now you're directing it at me!"
Watch the downright embarrassing moment on C-SPAN.
-
Quiz of The Week: 9 – 15 AugustQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
Britain's giant rat problemRising infestation reports and increased sightings of oversized rats have caused concerns about waste management in some areas
-
The Week Unwrapped: Has Donald Trump secured his Nobel Peace Prize?Podcast Plus, what does the use of North Korean and Indian labour tell us about the Russian war economy? And why have we all gone crazy for pickles?
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster showSpeed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top GrammysSpeed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
