Newest ‘Jeopardy!' champion donates portion of winnings to Oakland schools

San Francisco Chronicle​

25-04-2025

W. Kamau Bell just became the Bay Area's latest 'Jeopardy!' champion, and he's donating a portion of his winnings to East Bay schools.
The Oakland comic and documentarian won 'Celebrity Jeopardy!' beating out 'A Black Lady Sketch Show' comedian Robin Thede and entrepreneur Dave Friedberg on the season finale, which aired Wednesday, April 23. By winning, he secured $1 million for the charity of his choice: education nonprofit DonorsChoose, which helps teachers request classroom supplies and enables donors to help fund public school projects.
'It means the world to me to be able to do something for this community,' Bell told the Chronicle. 'I know that an educated student is better for all of us, and teachers that don't have to reach into their pockets to support their students is better for all of us. … The students may never actually understand what just happened, but I know the teachers appreciate it."
Bell took no time to celebrate. The next morning, he visited Castlemont High School in Oakland, one of the institutions that will benefit from his 'Jeopardy!' pay out.
Joseph Blasher, the school's principal, said Bell's donation is particularly helpful in the wake of Oakland Unified School District's financial struggles, which have made it difficult for teachers to plan projects.
"It means people that are from our space continue to help and love our space and our people,' Blasher said. 'OUSD is going through some pretty significant budget issues, so this really helps with specific teacher projects that normally we would be able to fund but are not able to … This just means the world to us.'
A total of $183,000 of Bell's winnings will support Oakland teachers across 63 schools, while $53,000 will benefit teachers across 22 schools in Mobile, Ala., where his dad lives.
Though the comic got off to a slow start during the final 'Celebrity Jeopardy!' matchup, trailing behind both of his opponents by more than $2,000, Bell was able to turn things around during the second half of the game thanks to some pop culture training from his 10-year-old daughter, Juno.
He correctly identified 'Drivers License' as the Olivia Rodrgio ballad named for 'this government-issued form of I.D.,' shortly after revealing to the audience that his daughter had quizzed him about the pop singer in the car that morning.
'I nailed it,' he said proudly on the quiz show.
But it was the Daily Double that secured the lead for Bell, who correctly responded to the clue about Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us,' setting him ahead at $11,200.
Though he dropped to second place during the third round, for Final Jeopardy, Bell was the only contestant to correctly identifying Bob Newhart as the comedian who often credited his wife for inspiring 'what is still called one of the greatest finales in TV history,' a nod to the 1978 episode of 'The Bob Newhart Show.'
He ended the game with a total of $27,199, dominating over Thede and Friedberg by more than $25,000.
'This is amazing,' Bell said when receiving his trophy from host Ken Jennings.
Past winners of the celebrity game show, which launched in 2022 as an offshoot of 'Jeopardy!', include 'The Mindy Project' actor Ike Barinholtz and 'Abbott Elementary' star Lisa Ann Walter.
During his run on Season 3 of the quiz show, Bell faced off against celebrities such as 'New Girl' star Max Greenfield, 'Grey's Anatomy' actor Camilla Luddington and Bay Area comic Margaret Cho.
Earlier this month, Bell brought the show to the East Bay for his third stand-up comedy residency at Berkeley Repertory Theater.