Alex Trebek Called “Sexist” After Telling a Female Sergeant That Her Job Must Be “Tough for a Woman”
We'll take "Foot In Mouth" for $500, Alex! Alex Trebek is probably regretting a comment he made to a female contestant named Lisa Beth Davis during Jeopardy! on Dec. 19 after fans slam him for being "sexist!"
When Lisa revealed that she's retired Army Master Sergeant, Alex awkwardly said "that must be really tough for a woman, because a master sergeant is giving orders most of the time." Uh… okay. Luckily, Lisa took it in stride and didn't miss a beat, responding by saying "I'm pretty bossy. I'm the oldest, so I know how to tell people what to do." "You're the oldest in your family… did you have brothers?" asked Alex, once again assuming men would be tougher. When she explained she actually had sisters he said "So you learned how to do it, good for you."
“That must be really tough for a woman, because a Master Sargent is giving orders most of the time…”
-Actual quote from Alex Trebek on @Jeopardy. #jeopardy #SexistFor600 #sitdown #BYE #retireplz #sexist *changes channel* pic.twitter.com/oKqEG4xnN2— 〰️ B A S S Y 〰️ (@sarahbassy) December 20, 2017
Fans definitely weren't cool with the disrespectful comment, and took to Twitter to air their grievances. "Alex Trebek just told a female contestant that being a Master Sergeant in the military “Must be very hard for a woman.” Woooooooooooooooow. Truly shameful moment," wrote one viewer. "As a USMC veteran, I know how irresponsible such rhetoric can be," agreed another. "Stop perpetuating the illogical belief that women can't lead." "Jesus Christ, Alex Trebek; you're lucky that master sergeant didn't choke you out! " said another salty fan.
So far, neither Alex nor Jeopardy has responded to the controversy. It's possible that Alex meant his statement as a compliment, because it certainly must have taken a lot of courage and confidence for Lisa to go into a male-dominated atmosphere and be able to lead, but the way he said it was insulting and belittling. Think before you speak next time, Alex!
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