Ken Jennings, the Edmonds local, 74-game winner of “Jeopardy!” and the show’s sole host since 2023, revealed a behind-the-scenes secret this week while accepting honors from the King County Council.

The council recognized Jennings on Tuesday for his advocacy for cancer research and his involvement in the local community. During his acceptance remarks, Jennings explained how he continues to live in Seattle with his family while taping the long-running game show in Los Angeles.

“I’m a true Seattle native, born in Edmonds, just across the county line, and [I’ve] raised family here for the last 20 plus years,” Jennings said. “Even though we tape ‘Jeopardy!’ in L.A., I commute. I fly down every few weeks. We do five shows a day. The secret of Jeopardy! is a full week is [taped in] an afternoon.”

Jennings became one of the game show’s most recognizable figures after his record-breaking run beginning in 2004. He took over as sole host of “Jeopardy!” in late 2023, succeeding the late Alex Trebek, who died in 2020 after battling pancreatic cancer.

Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer introduced the recognition, emphasizing Jennings’ decision to return to and remain in the region and his commitment to local causes.

“Today, we’re recognizing him as someone who came back, looked back and gave back,” von Reichbauer said, citing Jennings’ community engagement and support for cancer research.

Jennings attended the University of Washington before transferring to Brigham Young University, where he double-majored in English and computer science and met his wife, Mindy. After working as a software engineer in Utah, he first appeared on “Jeopardy!” on June 2, 2004, launching an unprecedented 74-game winning streak and earning more than $2.5 million in total winnings.

Jennings later left his programming career to pursue writing, publishing multiple books, and eventually moved back to the Seattle area, where he lives with his family. He serves on the board of Scarecrow Video and supports pancreatic cancer research, among other nonprofit efforts.

Jennings also reflected on the cultural role of “Jeopardy!,” calling it a shared daily ritual for viewers across generations and political divides.

“It’s one remaining public space where everyone agrees that facts matter,” he said. “You know that questions have the right answers or … answers have the right questions … We don’t truck with conspiracy theories … we actually believe in the right answer and facts.”