Jeopardy! first approached Ken Jennings about becoming a consulting producer in January

The Washington Post

Jennings recalled that then-longtime executive producer Harry Friedman called him the same night his winning the Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament aired on ABC. “He said, ‘Hey, we’ve been talking, and if you’re serious about being retired from Jeopardy!, would you want to come aboard? Like, move to the front office?’" Jennings told The Washington Post “That was nice, because I was kind of already missing the show.” Jennings, who calls his new job a "vague portfolio" of roles, said he accepted because "I’m probably going to be doing this type of stuff for free anyway, why not get on the payroll?”