‘Never watching that effing show again’: Internet slams 'Jeopardy!' over segment on 'neopronouns'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Long-running game show 'Jeopardy!' received backlash online after it included "neopronouns" as an answer in Monday's, February 26, Tournament of Champions quarterfinal.

The term "neopronouns" was brought up after contestant Cris Pannullo, who had amassed a reported 21-win streak, selected the category "Speech Parts of Speech."

What are 'neopronouns'?

It was the conversation between host Ken Jennings and contestant Cris Pannullo that gave the game a controversial turn.

"Xem, Xyrs, Xemself," host Jennings read aloud.

"What are pronouns?" Pannullo answered.

"What are pronouns?" Jennings replied. "What are 'neopronouns.' You have $6,200."

The Human Rights Campaign defines "neopronouns" as "those pronouns besides the ones most commonly used in a particular language. As one's pronouns are ultimately a reflection of their personal identity, the number and types of (neo)pronouns a person may use is limitless."

Examples of neopronoun sets include, "xe/xir/xirs, ze/zir/zirs and fae/faer/faers," according to the organization.

In the end, Pannullo's understanding of "neopronouns" was insufficient to enable him to advance through the Tournament of Champions and win. Jennings called his defeat against Greenville, Texas-based quality-control specialist Jared Watson "an upset."

"Upsets like that are going to happen," Jennings said.

Internet slams 'Jeopardy!' after this incident

The video clip of the instant went viral on social media platforms like X. A user slammed the show while writing, "This puts the shows integrity in.... Jeopardy. Sorry, I'll see myself out."

Another user wrote, "Completely unnecessary. Sad to see another mainstay of American culture go woke".

A user said, "So, in order to win at Jeopardy, you need to be able to keep up with whatever bull the wokes are coming up with?"

A user said, "I would answer by turning off the television, never watching that effing show again."

Another user said, "Jeopardy just had an answer "xem/xyrs/zemself," and the question was, "What is a pronoun?" I thought Jeopardy was about facts, not fiction."