Two contestants on the game show “Jeopardy!” sent public apologies to music icon Diana Ross for incorrectly identifying her as being two decades older than she is.
What Happened: According to a New York Post report, on Monday night’s episode the Final Jeopardy clue given to the contestants was: “In 2021 at age 95, this singer achieved a Guinness World Record for the oldest person to release an album of new material.”
The correct answer was Tony Bennett for his duet album with Lady Gaga “Love for Sale.” However, defending champion Finn Corrigan and challenger Karen Johnson responded by answering “Diana Ross” — who will be turning 78 on March 26. Corrigan bet his entire $11,400 earnings while Johnson sacrificed $7,401 of her $15,400 cash.
The third player on the game, Margaret Chipowsky, offered the correct answer and wagered $9,000 of her $9,800 earnings, thus becoming the new champion with $18,800 in winnings.
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What Happened Next: Johnson took to Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) to send her “deepest apologies” to Ross, claiming, “I didn’t really think you were the answer, but was running out of time and had to put something!” 😬😭,” she tweeted on Tuesday.
Corrigan chimed in as well, tweeting, “I knew she was not nearly that old but better to write something than nothing. Just glad we’re in this together hahahaha.”
Ross did not acknowledge the tweets, although she used her own Twitter page to promote the Purple Disco Machine remix of her song "I Still Believe."
"Jeopardy!" is produced by Sony Pictures Television, a division of Sony Entertainment Group (NYSE:SONY).
Photo: Diana Ross in "Mahogany," courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
