Ken Jennings, 52, on His Famous College Roommate, Brandon Sanderson: ‘the Nerdiest Guy in the Apartment’
The ‘Jeopardy!’ host dished on his famous college roommate during a recent Q&A and he left nothing out
Key Takeaways
- Ken Jennings and Brandon Sanderson were college roommates at BYU.
- Sanderson worked night shifts at a Best Western while writing his novels.
- Sanderson's success means he no longer flies commercial, Jennings reveals.
Ken Jennings is opening up about some of his famous friends. In a recent video uploaded to the Jeopardy! TikTok account, the 52-year-old game-show host revealed that he was once roommates with the bestselling fantasy author Brandon Sanderson! To learn more about their friendship, including what Jennings claims Sanderson never does anymore, keep reading.
What to know about Ken Jennings’ friendship with Brandon Sanderson
Every time there’s an audience at the Alex Trebek Stage at Sony Pictures Studios, Jennings takes time to answer some questions from the crowd. And in a recent chat, Jennings was asked about Sanderson’s new Apple TV deal, which features a Mistborn movie trilogy.
“My college roommate is a fantasy author. If you know that world, he is actually one of the biggest names in epic fantasy—Brandon Sanderson,” Jennings replied. “At the time, Brandon was just working at the Best Western near our house. He was the night-shift desk clerk, which I guess leaves you lots of time to write 1,200-page novels with 78 characters in them. He would come home from work every morning, and if I was making breakfast, he would just be standing in the kitchen reading us the next events of the King whatever and Sir whoever was whatever dragon.”
“I was like, ‘Well, at least I’m not the nerdiest guy in the apartment for a change. That was very nice,” the host continued. “But no, he turned out extremely talented. And yeah, big Apple TV deal. He’s done very well.”
Jennings and Sanderson both went to Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. Following their graduation, Jennings went on to become the longest-running Jeopardy! champion and was eventually named host of the show in 2022, following Trebek’s death in 2020. He has been married to Mindy Jennings since 2000 and they have two children together.
Sanderson, on the other hand, went on to become one of the most popular authors on the planet. He has sold more than 50 million books worldwide, and his most popular series include Stormlight Archive and Mistborn. They are both part of his “Cosmere” universe and are in development at Apple TV, with Stormlight Archive potentially being a series and Mistborn most likely being a featured film. He also helped finish Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, which was turned into an Amazon Prime TV show.
“When I started—it’s now been 13 years since my first book came out—during those first few years, there was a lot of uncertainty such as many new writers’ experiences. I didn’t know if I’d be able to do this long term or full time. I think that one big change over the last 10 years is a measure of confidence. I am confident now that the thing that I love to do is also something that other people will enjoy experiencing,” Sanderson told From the Desk in 2018. “As an actual writer I think I’ve grown quite a bit. Working on The Wheel of Time was a big part of that. But the more projects you complete as a writer—the more you actually do this job, the more books you finish—the more intimately familiar with the process and your own application of it you become.”
Sanderson is 50 years old and has been married to Emily Bushman since 2006. They have three kids and currently live in American Fork, Utah.
Ken Jennings reveals the one thing Brandon Sanderson won’t do
During the Q&A Jennings took the time to let everyone know that Sanderson “doesn’t fly commercial anymore.”
“I learned the last time that I was in Salt Lake City that Brandon now owns a plane,” the host continued. “That’s how many books that guy has sold. So I’m also the second most successful person in the apartment.”
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