Jeopardy! host Mayim Bialik recently shared one of her hidden talents with fans on Instagram—though she faced resistance from her eldest son.
The Call Me Kat star, 47, shares sons Miles, 17, and Frederick, 14, with her ex-husband Michael Stone, from whom she's been divorced since 2013. She is now in a relationship with partner Jonathan Cohen.
On Sunday, TV personality Bialik revealed that Miles objected to the tuneful treat she was about to share with her Instagram followers, as she showed off her piano-playing skills, while also sharing a snippet of her vocal talents.
As her video started, a male voice could be heard speaking off-camera, before the TV personality told her fans with a smile: "Miles doesn't want me doing this."
Unperturbed, Bialik pressed on, picking up singer-songwriter Eric Hutchinson's songbook as she said: "Ooh, what's this? Hi Eric Hutchinson!"
She then went broke into song as she played the piano and loosely sang along to the lyrics of Hutchinson's track "It Hasn't Been Long Enough."
Captioning the post, The Big Bang Theory star Bialik wrote: "Haven't done this in years... Piano time Sunday night—thanks to @erichutchinson's song book. Not my strongest singing but feels good to try."
The post was met with an enthusiastic response from Hutchinson, who commented: "This is wonderful!!"
Bialik's followers were equally impressed, with one writing: "I disagree with Miles. I loved it!!"
"You seem to find joy in everything," said another to Bialik. "I love your face as you try things. I can tell how much fun this is to you."
Another wrote: "Is there anything you can't do? I wish we were friends. You make me laugh. Your so down to earth."
Bialik is currently hosting Jeopardy! special the High School Reunion Tournament. All-time Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings, who hosts the regular primetime show, will return to the lectern on March 10.
It was confirmed last July that Jennings and Bialik would be signing new Jeopardy! contracts after sharing the duties as interim hosts of the show for much of Season 38. They replaced beloved host Alex Trebek, who died in November 2020.
Former Jeopardy! executive producer Mike Richards was initially announced as the permanent host in August 2021, but he stepped down just nine days later. Bialik immediately filled in and was later joined by Jennings.
With the show in its 39th season, Jennings fronts the primetime edition, while Blossom star Bialik takes over the lectern for tournaments and specials.
During an appearance on the Inside Jeopardy! podcast in August, Bialik and Jennings spoke with host Sarah Whitcomb Foss about how they deal with online backlash from fans of the syndicated quiz show.
"We're still people, so I can't say that when you hear things that are constructive criticism that you don't start thinking a little bit too much about it," Bialik said. "But, I don't know, I kind of take everybody's opinion both with a grain of salt and also believe everybody has a right to their opinion."
For Jennings, the backlash came early, when he saw that some people were "sick of" him in the earlier stages of his run as a Jeopardy! contestant in 2004. Jennings holds the record of the show's longest win streak at 74.
"Even as a contestant, I remember being shocked at how free—it was the early days of the internet, but people were still very much like, 'Oh, I'm sick of this guy already.' And I'm like, 'Oh, there's like three more months [of me]... This guy's gonna have a bad summer!' I just kind of had to dissociate.
"You know what, Jeopardy! has got such a big, diverse audience. You're not going to be able to please everybody every night. But I think that's the virtue of having a couple hosts. You know, it's a big, diverse audience and maybe that helps broaden the tent. It's a matter of taste hosting style."
Last June, Bialik opened up about being on the receiving end of harsh comments from some Jeopardy! fans before being announced as a permanent host.
Speaking with Justin Long on an episode of her podcast, Mayim Bialik's Breakdown, the TV personality revealed that viewers often compare her to Jennings.
Actor and comedian Long broached the subject when he asked Bialik if she was ever made aware that she was favored over Jennings by Jeopardy! fans.
"Sometimes," Bialik responded, adding that "sometimes I get, 'We don't prefer you to Ken.'"
Uncommon Knowledge
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