Jeopardy! fan favorite Sam Buttrey has just booked a new gig as the co-host of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, but some fans are wondering what this means for former co-host Buzzy Cohen.
The official Jeopardy! social media accounts made the announcement on Monday night (September 9), revealing Buttrey will be co-hosting episodes of the behind-the-scenes podcast with long-time Jeopardy! producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss.
“Hold onto your butts! #InsideJeopardy! is back with a new co-host, SAM BUTTREY!” the Jeopardy! X account posted alongside a link to the latest episode of the podcast.
“Sam, it’s so good to have you here in the pod,” Foss said at the start of the new episode. “And can we just say that you’re gonna be in the pod a lot more now?”
Hold onto your butts! #InsideJeopardy! is back with a new co-host, SAM BUTTREY! Listen now : https://t.co/VuDrDioWju pic.twitter.com/kr4jrVdVH2
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) September 10, 2024
“I was hoping you would say that, Sarah. My plan is to join you whenever you’ll have me,” the 2022 Tournament of Champions second runner-up replied.
“We’ve been sitting on this [news] for a long time,” Foss added, noting that Buttrey will be an “official” co-host of the podcast.
“I’m delighted to be here as part of the podcast and as part of the Jeopardy! team,” Buttrey shared.
Foss revealed that Buttrey will also be hitting the road with the team when they visit college campuses and do episodes of Inside Jeopardy! live.
Buttrey made his first Jeopardy! appearance in 2021 when he won the Professors Tournament. His good-natured humor and uncanny resemblance to comedian Steve Martin quickly won over fans. Buttrey then returned for the 2022 TOC, where he made it to the finals. He also competed in the first edition of Jeopardy! Masters and this year’s Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament.
Fans were super excited by the news and took to social media to share their reactions.
“Oh I’m down for this. Love me some Sam,” wrote one fan on the Jeopardy! Reddit forum.
“Great news for Butt Heads everywhere,” said another.
“Mind blown. BRING IT!” another added.
An X user added, “Sam is the new co-host? That’s all I need to know. Hear you soon!”
Jeopardy Productions, Inc.
However, others were left wondering what this meant for former Tournament of Champions winner Buzzy Cohen, who has served as a recurring co-host on Inside Jeopardy! since 2022.
“I hope this is in addition to buzzy, not instead of buzzy,” wrote one Reddit commenter.
Another added, “I wonder what happened with Buzzy. I enjoy both of them though (and Sarah, of course). I was surprised to see it in my feed – glad it’s back!”
There was no mention of Cohen in Monday’s episode of Inside Jeopardy!, so it remains to be seen whether or not he’ll be back on the podcast in the future. As of writing, Cohen’s profile remains on the official Jeopardy! website, where he’s listed as “A contributor on the weekly Inside Jeopardy! podcast.”
His absence from the podcast could be due to the same reason fans believe he missed out on the Pop Culture Jeopardy! hosting gig. As a Reddit user revealed last month, “Buzzy is under contract with the History Channel. He’s hosting a game show on there called The Einstein Challenge.”
The Einstein Challenge premiered in July and according to the synopsis, “It follows two world-class experts as they compete to best explain seriously complicated concepts to a panel of kids, concepts such as how bad was the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.”
It’s certainly possible that Cohen’s contract with The History Channel is preventing him from working on Jeopardy! projects.
What do you think of Buttrey being the new Inside Jeopardy! co-host? Will you miss Cohen? Let us know in the comments section below.
Jeopardy!, Weekdays, check local listings