By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-31 15:37:06 | Updated at 2026-08-10 15:10:13
1 week ago
Woke Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings has been condemned by an online transgender mob for playing one of The New York Times' online games.
Jennings, 52, came under fire after he admitted to playing the Spelling Bee word game in a post he made on BlueSky, the left-wing alternative to X.
'My wife and I have a game where we try to invent the day's grossest-sounding word on NYT Spelling Bee,' Jennings wrote, with a screenshot of his attempts.
But a transgender BlueSky user calling herself Gwen Pepperoni was soon on the attack.
She was seemingly outraged that Jennings would admit to subscribing to a publication known for its increasingly-balanced coverage on issues including puberty blockers for children and trans women in female sports.
'I wish people who care about trans people could understand that playing NYT games is an insult to trans people,' Pepperoni wrote.
The game show host sarcastically replied to the post, saying: 'This may be true of others but I actually got express permission from the trans community to keep NYT games and recipes.
'I also have a news subscription, which is arguably worse, so I had to specifically send in a written request. Took 30 days but I got approved.'
That triggered a firestorm of transgender fury directed at Jennings, with many outraged he had even dared to question a member of their community.
Furious social media users have lashed out at Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings for supporting the 'bigoted' New York Times
Jennings, 52, was accused of being anti-trans after he revealed in a BlueSky post that he and his wife Mindy are routine players of the newspaper's online spelling bee game
'The knee-jerk instinct of allies to publicly ridicule and deride the feelings of trans women who make them even momentarily uncomfortable deserves examination,' one BlueSky user wrote.
'The condescension dripping off of this is maddening.'
'This is a disgusting way to treat someone,' said another.
One user went as far as comparing Jennings' remark to someone giving themselves a pass to use the n-word.
Another wrote: 'Did they tell you it was ok to buy Harry Potter merch and give you a slur pass too,' a reference to author JK Rowling, who says trans women should be banned from female spaces.
'I'm consistently never disappointed but never surprised when a cis man turns out to not actually give a s*** about anyone except himself.'
Jennings, however, previously expressed his support for the trans community and vowed not to support Democrat Gavin Newsom in his bid for presidency because of the California governor's stance on so-called gender affirming care.
The primary critic, Gwen Pepperoni, whose profile photo appears to have been modified with filters or artificial intelligence, was seemingly outraged that Jennings would admit to subscribing to a publication known for its increasingly-balanced coverage on issues including puberty blockers for children and trans women in female sports
Jennings, who last year was applauded online after he advocated for youth gender medicine, has now been branded 'nasty,' 'tone deaf' and a 'transphobe' by BlueSky users
Last July, Jennings reshared a BlueSky post from author Parker Molloy vowing to 'never, ever vote for Gavin Newsom.'
'This is correct,' Jennings wrote of Molloy. 'Any candidate cynically "triangulating" on trans kids is a non-starter, and now is the time to say so. There's still so much time to advance candidates that DON'T suck.'
Several users rushed to comment on his post, thanking Jennings for his support and calling him a 'hero' and 'very cool dude.'
Jennings is the latest progressive star to discover just how easy it is to offend the transgender community, even with the best of intentions.
She was quickly scolded by activists who warned her that transgenderism is 'not an identity.'
The New York Times has tacked back to the center on its coverage of transgender issues since 2022, outraging its most progressive readers.
Its reporters have investigated the dangers of so-called gender-affirming care for children, including powerful puberty blocking hormones and breast removal surgeries.
New York Times columnists have also spoken out in support of JK Rowling and of banning trans women from female sports, although the paper has also continued to publish pro-trans voices too.
In two open letters, hundreds of Times staff and celebrities alleged the paper demonstrated an 'editorial bias in [its] reporting on transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming people'.
Last July, Jennings reshared a BlueSky post from author Parker Molloy vowing to 'never, ever vote for Gavin Newsom'
The signatories claimed 'the Times has in recent years treated gender diversity with an eerily familiar mix of pseudoscience and euphemistic, charged language, while publishing reporting on trans children that omits relevant information about its sources'.
The litany of complaints also included using sources linked to 'anti-trans hate groups' and the paper's historical approaches to reporting LGBTQ issues.
A spokesman for the Times told the Daily Mail at the time that its stories on the subject, including several cited in the open letters, were reported 'deeply and empathetically', adding: 'Our journalism strives to explore, interrogate and reflect the experiences, ideas and debates in society – to help readers understand them. Our reporting did exactly that and we're proud of it.'
