Jeopardy! Champion Yogesh Raut Addresses Name Mispronunciation Incident

LOS ANGELES, California — Yogesh Raut, the newly crowned champion of Jeopardy! Masters, expressed frustration over host Ken Jennings’ mispronunciation of his name during the show. Despite winning $500,000, Raut felt that the broadcast did not do justice to his experience.

In a Facebook post on June 7, Raut detailed his grievances, stating that Jennings introduced him incorrectly and that the show editors omitted parts of his interviews. He wrote, “My final pair of interviews on the show cut out everything I had to say about racism (as expected) and also a good portion of my thank-you’s, including many of the people I thanked by name.”

Raut recalled an incident where he addressed Jennings directly, saying, “Ken, when Neilesh [Vinjamuri] was up here he made a point of thanking you for pronouncing his name correctly, and I’d love to do the same — just as soon as you start.” Raut noted that this segment was edited out of the final broadcast.

The introduction mishap sparked conversations online about the correct pronunciation of Raut’s name. While Jennings called him “Yo-GESH Raut,” many fans argue that his first name should be pronounced “Yo-gaish.” Additionally, Raut’s last name was introduced as “R-out” instead of the correct “R-oat.”

Fans showed their support for Raut’s remarks on Facebook, with some saying, “I’m glad you said it here! Oh, and belatedly in this post, A BIG CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR WIN!!!” Others asked for clarification on the correct pronunciation.

Raut also mentioned that his acknowledgments to the Jeopardy! production staff were cut from the program. He expressed gratitude to stage manager Jimmy McGuire and sound technician Mitch for pronouncing his name correctly throughout the production.

Additionally, Raut recounted a recent incident while in California for the show. He thanked a “Good Samaritan” for assisting him after he tripped and fell down an escalator at LAX airport, stating he hoped to express his gratitude publicly in the future.

Jeopardy! Masters, Season 3, is currently streaming on Hulu.