Ken Jennings just shared some fun details about a famous roommate he had in college!
The Jeopardy! host revealed that he once shared an apartment with bestselling fantasy author Brandon Sanderson while the two attended Brigham Young University in Utah during the 1990s.
Ken opened up about the experience during an on-set Q&A that was later shared on Jeopardy! social media accounts.
@jeopardy And they were roommates! #Jeopardy! #KenJennings ? original sound – Jeopardy!
Ken Jennings reveals he roomed with famous author Brandon Sanderson
Ken recalled that before Brandon became one of the most successful fantasy authors in the world, he was working overnight shifts at a local hotel while spending his free time writing massive fantasy novels.
“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, you know, 78 characters in them,” Ken said.
The 52-year-old game show host later joked that having him around made him feel less nerdy by comparison.
“I was just like, ‘Well, at least I’m not the nerdiest guy in the apartment for a change.’ That was very nice.”
Brandon Sanderson is now one of the most recognizable voices in fantasy
Brandon has become one of the most recognizable names in fantasy publishing, having sold more than 50 million books worldwide. Ken praised his former roommate’s talent and success.
“But no, he turned out extremely talented. And yeah, big Apple TV deal. He’s done very well,” Ken said, quipping that Brandon “doesn’t fly commercial anymore” and instead owns a private plane.
“That’s how many books that guy has sold. So I’m also the second most successful person in the apartment.”
Back in January, Apple TV picked up the rights to his Cosmere universe, which includes his Mistborn and The Stormlight Archives series, for film and television.
Another hugely popular fantasy series just got an update and is moving forward to series at Amazon.
Posted To:Books Brandon Sanderson Ken Jennings
