Jeopardy! fans lacking any knowledge of prolific American women poets were left clutching their pearls on Monday.
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In the category “Complete the Rhyming Phrase,” host Ken Jennings presented the three contestants with the phrase, “Men seldom make passes at…”
“Girls who wear glasses?” returning champion Will Wallace shot back correctly.
Of course, the phrase is attributed to the beloved 20th-century poet Dorothy Parker.
However, it appeared that Jennings acknowledged the possibility that the prompt may have made female contestant Heather Ryan uncomfortable, given that she wore glasses during the show.
“A little problematic, sorry, Heather,” Jennings admitted.
Sensing a white knight moment, Wallace added, “Very.”
Of course, some Jeopardy! decided to get upset over the 30-second moment.
Some viewers believed the question should’ve been vetted before airing in front of the easily offended masses.
‘”Yeah, a little problematic” — Ken. Um, then why didn’t you bring that up to the writers before the game?” one fan questioned on X.
“Still angry about this,” the ironically named JustSomeChickTx wrote.”She’s used her intelligence to get on here, only to be insulted by a sexist and rude comment,” they added.
Fortunately, Many ‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Seemed to Get the Reference
However, at least a few folks seemed to understand the reference and who it came from.
“Jeopardy viewers offended by famous Dorothy Parker quote, “Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses”… It’s good to see that our pal Dot still has the power to disturb the complacent, all these many years later!” one X user rightly pointed out.
Jeopardy viewers offended by famous Dorothy Parker quote, "Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses"… It's good to see that our pal Dot still has the power to disturb the complacent, all these many years later! pic.twitter.com/Nxhvv0FeDM
— Miles C. Shelton (@MilesCShelton1) October 29, 2024
Meanwhile, it seemed many onlookers felt the moment was much ado about nothing regardless.
“We are so soft. Get the F over it. Its an expression. As a woman who wears glasses I can assure you I get hit on enough and not at all offended by this,” one X user insisted.
Yet another X user pointed out the benefits of wearing glasses for all the single ladies out there.
“We *want* [to] remain pass less and will continue to wear our man repellent vision helpers, mostly so we can function, but also bc of the bonus Creeper Deterrents,’ they wrote.