The newest season of “Celebrity Jeopardy!” debuted on Friday, March 13, 2026, as ABC rolled out its most elaborate tournament to date. The All-Stars edition kicked off at 8/7c with sports media figure Katie Nolan and “Saturday Night Live” alum Rachel Dratch trading leads throughout the evening, while actor-writer Mark Duplass stayed in contention during a quarterfinal that entertained from the first clue.
This fourth installment reunites 21 fan favorites from the show’s first three seasons in a bracket-style contest, matching returning winners against the celebrities who nearly beat them. The tournament spans 10 episodes, including six quarterfinals, three semifinals, and a single winner-takes-all final, with $1 million awarded to the champion’s selected charity.
Host Ken Jennings returns to preside over the All-Stars tournament on the famed Alex Trebek Stage. In a season teaser, Jennings proclaimed, “Jeopardy! goes Hollywood. Our brightest stars are all back.”
The format gives a big edge to the show’s three reigning champions. Season 1 winner Ike Barinholtz, Season 2 champ Lisa Ann Walter, and Season 3 winner W. Kamau Bell have each been placed directly into the semifinals, skipping the six-game quarterfinal rounds entirely. The other 18 celebrities must fight through those preliminaries for a chance to face the seeded titleholders.
The challenger roster reads like a who’s who of TV and comedy: Macaulay Culkin, Ray Romano, Andy Richter, Margaret Cho, Patton Oswalt, Cynthia Nixon, and Mina Kimes are all vying to advance. Also competing are “Gilmore Girls” alum Sean Gunn, comedian Roy Wood Jr., Robin Thede, Mo Rocca, Mira Sorvino, Tim Simons, Jackie Tohn, and Steven Weber. Notably, all three finalists from Season 2—Walter, Nolan, and Rocca—get another opportunity to face one another in this All-Stars run.
The returning champions bring impressive credentials. Barinholtz, 49, made history as the first celebrity champion to appear in the regular Tournament of Champions, where he won his quarterfinal before exiting in the semifinals. The actor-comedian recently starred in the critically praised Apple TV+ series “The Studio.”
Walter, the “Abbott Elementary” star who took the Season 2 title, has emphasized how much the win meant to her. She’s joked about being buried with her “Jeopardy!” trophy—calling it “my urn” and saying it’s specified in her will.
Bell enters this All-Stars edition as the most recent champion, having secured the Season 3 crown when the finale aired April 23, 2025. The comedian-filmmaker won $1 million for DonorsChoose, which supports classroom projects for public school teachers. Bell used part of his prize to fully fund all outstanding projects in Oakland public schools and in Mobile, Alabama, where his father lives.
The All-Stars premiere was initially set for Feb. 27, but ABC postponed it two weeks to March 13. The network first announced the season renewal in May 2025, sparking excitement among fans eager to see returning contestants get another shot at trivia success.
For viewers curious if celebrities get easier questions, Jennings recently tackled the topic. During a March 5 appearance on “Live with Kelly and Mark,” host Kelly Ripa asked whether the questions are simplified for celebrities. “That’s a nice way to say that. You didn’t say ‘dumbed down,'” Jennings laughed, then affirmed that “Celebrity Jeopardy! is for real Jeopardy! Our brand is ‘smart people knowing smart stuff,’ and that’s true even if it’s the celebrity version.”
Jennings also suggested why comedians have fared so well in the celebrity field—Barinholtz, Walter, and Bell all come from comedy backgrounds. He posited that live performance experience makes them quicker on the buzzer and less worried about embarrassment, traits that help in the intense game-show setting.
Upcoming quarterfinals include Macaulay Culkin versus Steven Weber and Jackie Tohn on March 20, followed by Sean Gunn, Cynthia Nixon, and Roy Wood Jr. on March 27. The semifinals and final are slated for May, with the tournament expected to conclude on May 14.
Contestants eliminated in the quarterfinals still receive $30,000 for their chosen charities, while semifinalists who don’t advance take home $50,000. The two runners-up in the final each get $175,000—a change from prior seasons when second and third place payouts differed.
Fans can catch the season premiere on ABC, with episodes available to stream on Hulu the next day. The tournament format promises weeks of competition as celebrities show off their knowledge across varied categories while raising funds for causes they support.
