Jeopardy! Host Ken Jennings Pushes for Salary Boost Amid Ratings Surge

Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings earns a pittance compared to what rival quizmaster Ryan Seacrest pockets on Wheel of Fortune, but people say now that the paltry-paycheck host is surging back in the ratings, he expects a well-earned raise!

The 50-year-old ex-software engineer, who shot to fame and nabbed the hosting gig after becoming a Jeopardy! champ, reportedly gets $4 million per year — a fraction of Seacrest’s whopping $28 million — and “feels like he deserves a whole lot more for working his butt off, especially when he compares his salary to his competitors’, namely Ryan,” tattles a tipster.

“When Ken first took the job, he was impressed by $4 million, but as time has gone by, he now understands just how demanding the job is and realizes he should have pushed for more money,” dishes the source.

According to our source, now that Jeopardy! has bested Wheel of Fortune and climbed back to No. 1 in the ratings, Ken feels it’s time to hit up the show’s bigwigs for a major boost.

“This is the moment he’s been waiting for, and he’s got to move fast,” notes the tattler. “What he’s getting now is peanuts compared to what Ryan Seacrest is getting and he wants to see some equity — he’s sick of being treated like an amateur instead of the ratings winner he is!”

Jennings reportedly wants to strike while his iron is hot and the show is hitting its marks with viewers.

“Ken is in the game to win, and the numbers prove he’s popular with his audience,” says the source.

“He has the uptick and Seacrest is going down. That gives him a lot of pleasure, too, but he’d feel more appreciated if the higher-ups threw more money at him.

“It’s the principle of the thing!”