Mayim Bialik might not have won a Creative Arts Emmy, but she’s got nothing but pride for the person who did. Last night, Keke Palmer became the first woman in years to win an Emmy for her role as the host of Password. Big Bang Theory alum Mayim Bialik briefly served as the host of Jeopardy after the death of longtime host Alex Trebek. While she isn’t in that role anymore, she was quick to applaud Palmer for making strides in the often traditional world of the Emmys.
Mayim Bialik Congratulates Keke Palmer After Emmys Win
In January 2021, Jeopardy‘s longtime host Alex Trebek died at age 80. That same year, actress Mayim Bialik took over as the host of the game show, first in a temporary role and then a more permanent one. In May 2023, Jeopardy announced that Bialik would not be returning for season 39 of the show, and in December 2023 it was revealed she wouldn’t be returning to host at all. Despite that, Bialik was nominated in the Outstanding Game Show Host category alongside the current host, Ken Jennings.
Also nominated for that same category was Keke Palmer, actress turned host of NBC’s Password. The game show began in the 1960s, but received a rebooted version in 2022 executive produced by Jimmy Fallon. Keke Palmer has hosted the new version of Password since its inception, guiding two pairs of contestants through word association puzzles until they guess “the password.”
Even though Keke Palmer won the Outstanding Game Show Host Emmy instead of Mayim Bialik, she quickly praised Palmer in an Instagram post, calling her “an inspiration.”
I’m so proud to have been a part of the 2022 season of Jeopardy! that won the primetime Emmy 🏆 last night for best game show! And hearty congratulations to Keke Palmer for being the first woman in 15 years to win best host – you’re an inspiration to women everywhere and I salute you 🫡 !!!”
@missmayim via Instagram
As Bialik said, Keke Palmer is the first person to win Outstanding Game Show Host since Meredith Vieira and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in 2009. She’s also the first Black woman to be nominated for the category, let alone win it.
