'Jeopardy!' Fans Accuse Show of Promoting 'COVID Vaccine Propaganda'

Jeopardy! fans have accused the popular quiz show of promoting COVID-19 "vaccine propaganda," with pharmaceutical giant Moderna as a sponsor.

The long-running syndicated show, which is hosted by Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik, returned to screens for its 40th season on September 11 following its summer break.

Due to the soon-to-end Writers Guild of America strike, the season kicked off with the Jeopardy! Second Chance tournament, in which contestants who had come close to victory in recent seasons were brought back for another round.

And while corporate sponsors for TV shows have long been commonplace, a faction of fans took to X, formerly Twitter, to voice their objections to Moderna's COVID vaccine messaging being a part of the new season.

On Monday, Canadian lawyer and YouTuber David Freiheit shared a video, which showed a Final Jeopardy clue that read: "A 1953 article by this pair says, 'The specific pairing we have postulated... suggests a... copying mechanism for the genetic material."

As each of the three contestants correctly responded that the clue was for American biologist James Watson and English physicist Francis Crick, Freiheit was heard complaining as the show concluded with the announcement that it was sponsored by Moderna.

After the credits rolled, a message was then shown regarding the ongoing dangers of the novel coronavirus. It was also recommended that viewers stay up to date with "the latest COVID-19 vaccines this fall."

"I haven't watched TV in a long time," Freiheit captioned the clip. "Jeopardy is now sponsored by Moderna, and running multiple Covid ads during the broadcast. Anybody who watches TV and relies on it for their information is doomed."

Similar sentiment was expressed in recent days by a number of other X users, with one tagging the official Jeopardy! account as they wrote: "Hey @Jeopardy, how embarrassing is it that you push covid-19 vaccine propaganda... What is, very!"

"Keep your so called 'Covid' C*** out of your program," commented another in response to an unrelated Jeopardy! post. "Seriously, you just lost us as nightly viewers."

"Covid really pumped a whole bunch of ad money into Moderna for Jeopardy sponsorships," said another viewer.

Amid a flood of posts expressing COVID vaccine skepticism, one X user wrote: "I just saw a poll where people w/ higher education and 'IQ' were more likely to have been jabbed. Also older folks. Makes sense they'd target the Jeopardy crowd."

As part of its Jeopardy! sponsorship, Moderna has also released a series of custom clues in the show's style in its efforts to promote COVID booster shots. The same was done in late 2022 during a previous Second Chance tournament.

After viewers expressed their objections at the time, one fan wrote on X: "The people upset that Moderna is sponsoring #Jeopardy Second Chance makes me weep for humanity."

Responding to a viewer's complaint, another said: "I'm sorry have you not watched television at all in the last decade? You can't swing a cat without seeing some pharmaceutical commercial. It ain't Jeopardy's issue."

Newsweek has contacted representatives of Jeopardy! and Moderna via email for comment.

Marketing industry magazine The Drum recognized Moderna for its Jeopardy! sponsorship in the Healthcare & Pharma category at The Drum Awards for Marketing Americas 2023. Moderna was awarded for its efforts in raising booster awareness among those over the age of 50, who make up a sizable amount of the Jeopardy! audience and are seen as an at-risk group with COVID.

President Joe Biden declared an end to the U.S. national emergency to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in April, but cases are on the rise again because of the spread of a new variant—BA.2.86—as students return to school. The situation is expected to worsen in the fall and winter, when seasonal respiratory illnesses like colds and flu normally spread.

COVID-related hospitalizations had been dropping steadily week after week since January, but the trend was reversed by the end of July. Between the end of August and the beginning of September there was a jump of about 16 percent across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Some private institutions, hospital operators and colleges have reintroduced requirements for staff or visitors to wear masks while at their sites to limit the spread of the new variants that have recently emerged. The moves have sparked speculation that nationwide restrictions could be set to return, angering many Republicans who have campaigned against the prospect of masking orders coming back.

According to a CDC map that tracks changes in the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests in all U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regions, the five states with the highest number of cases are Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma—also known as Region 6.

Earlier this month, the CDC recommended that everyone aged 6 months and older take a booster shot of the updated Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines during the fall vaccination campaign. The two vaccines have been modified to combat a new variant, XBB.1.5, though it's no longer dominant at this point.

While those most vulnerable to the virus remain the categories including those aged 65 and older, those in care homes, those with an immunocompromised system, and those with pre-existing medical conditions, authorities are trying to expand protection from severe illness to the entire population.

"Older adults and persons with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk for hospitalization and death," a statement from a CDC spokesperson to Newsweek said.

"In addition, healthy children and adults can still experience severe disease. The main reason to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is to protect yourself against severe illness, hospitalization, and even death."