Jeopardy! viewers disturbed after contestant appears to make white supremacist hand gesture
A contestant made a questionable hand gesture on Tuesday’s episode of Jeopardy! (Twitter/@NWestEsq)
Eagle-eyed Jeopardy! fans were shocked to see one of the contestants making what appeared to be a white supremacist hand gesture.
Contestant Kelly Donohue has been the reigning champion for the past three days on the hit trivia gameshow, which is currently guest hosted by CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper.
During player introductions on Tuesday (27 April) he flashed the camera an unusual gesture – his thumb and index finger touching and his other fingers outstretched over his chest.
Many viewers were quick to notice the similarities with the upside-down “OK” sign, also known as the “Three Percenter”, which the Anti-Defamation League classified as an official symbol of hate in 2019.
@andersoncooper did you notice contestant Kelly Donohue flash the white power sign on the show tonight??? #jeopardy pic.twitter.com/Nw7mbRjMkw
— West Law Firm | Nyasha West (@NWestEsq) April 27, 2021
“The current reigning champion on Jeopardy! flashed the Three Percenter white supremacist sign during his introduction tonight,” one viewer wrote on Twitter.
However, some questioned the intent behind the gesture, which is still widely used by many as the “OK” symbol. The gesture only took on a different meaning around 2017 when 4chan users promoted it as a hate symbol that signifies “wp” or “white power.”
One Jeopardy! fan suggested that Donohue’s gesture was indicative of his wins, as he produced similar hand gestures in his prior appearances on the show.
In his two other episodes as the reigning champion, he flashed one finger when he first won a game and flashed two when he won his second – so he could have just been signalling how many wins he’s racked up on the show.
Others noted that Donohue’s game was for a worthy cause, as Jeopardy! agreed to match the players’ winnings and donate $23,600 to Justice Defenders, which brings legal support to those who wouldn’t otherwise have it in East Africa.
PinkNews has reached out to Jeopardy! for comment.
