The actors and actresses who appear on Celebrity Jeopardy! may not be considered among Jeopardy!'s biggest winners, but they've collectively won millions of dollars over the years for charity. Here are some of the famous faces who had already impressed us with their acting abilities and went on to impress us with their smarts.
Lisa Ann Walter
Lisa Ann Walter's character may teach second-graders on Abbott Elementary, but she schooled full-grown adults on Celebrity Jeopardy! in 2024, advancing all the way to the season finale and winning the $1 million grand prize for her charity of choice, the Entertainment Community Fund.
Simu Liu
Barbie actor Simu Liu proved he was "Kenough" when he made it to the Semifinals of Celebrity Jeopardy! in 2022 and won $50,000 for Stop AAPI Hate. Liu lost that Semifinal game to Ike Barinholtz, who would go on to win the whole tournament
Sherri Shepherd
Sherri Shepherd has done it all. She's a stand-up comedian and an actor on numerous movies and TV shows. She's been on Broadway twice and now hosts her own eponymous daytime talk show Sherri. In 2023 she took time out of her busy schedule to win $30,000 for the Move-In Day Mafia Initiative at Project Dreamlight when she finished in the quarterfinals of Celebrity Jeopardy!.
John Michael Higgins
Whether you know him as a game show host, the principal of the Saved by the Bell revival or delivering hilarious one-liners in one of Christopher Guest's mockumentaries, John Michael Higgins showed just how intelligent he is when he took home $50,000 for the Actors' Equity Foundation, including the Entertainment Community Fund, in 2022.
Michael Cera
Michael Cera won $50,000 for Saving Mothers on the 2023 edition of Celebrity Jeopardy!. The actor is best known for his roles on Arrested Development, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Superbad.
Patton Oswalt
Before becoming a pretty darn good game show host himself on The 1% Club, Patton Oswalt showed the people how it's done as a contestant. The standup comedian and actor came in second place overall on Celebrity Jeopardy! in 2023, earning $250,000 for the nonprofit organization Alice's Kids.
Brendan Hunt
Fans of Ted Lasso likely already knew that Brendan Hunt, who co-created the series with Jason Sudeikis, was passionate about soccer. But there was no denying how deep his love for the sport ran after he made it to the semifinals of Celebrity Jeopardy! in 2023 and was able to gift Soccer Without Borders with a $50,000 check.
Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton has had a decades-long career, starting as a child actor in movies like Stand by Me and shows including Star Trek: The Next Generation. His extensive resume includes voice acting, narration for dozens of audiobooks, and — as of 2022 — a Celebrity Jeopardy! finalist. Wheaton came in third place in the tournament, earning $100,000 to donate to the National Women’s Law Center.
Ike Barinholtz
Ike Barinholtz may be known for his comedy on MADtv (where, funnily enough, he once portrayed Alex Trebek) and other comedy projects, but his performance on the celebrity version of one of the best game shows of all time was no laughing matter. The 2023 Celebrity Jeopardy! finale ended in dramatic fashion when he took down Patton Oswalt and Wil Wheaton, winning $1 million for Hollygrove, part of Pacific Clinics.
With his Celebrity Jeopardy! win, Ike Barinholtz earned a spot in the Tournament of Champions to compete against non-celebs. In the quarterfinal round, he defeated a former three-day champion Melissa Klapper, as well as 13-day champ Ray Lalonde to advance to the Semifinals, where his TOC journey ended.
Utkarsh Ambudkar
Utkarsh Ambudkar, known for his roles in Ghosts, Pitch Perfect and more, including several theatrical projects, won $50,000 for the SAG-AFTRA Foundation supporting the Emergency Financial Assistance and Disaster Relief Fund in 2024. It was eventual million-dollar-winner Lisa Ann Walter who ended his run on the game show, but $50K is nothing to sneeze at.
Penn Jillette
Penn Jillette was flying solo when he competed on Celebrity Jeopardy! in 2015. I'm not sure how much help he could have gotten from Teller, the other (nonspeaking) half of the Las Vegas comedy-magic duo, but he didn't seem to need it anyway. He earned $50,000 for Opportunity Village Foundation after beating out Project Runway star Cynthia Rowley and American Horror Story actor Zachary Quinto.
Mira Sorvino
Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino got to show off her brains and generosity in 2024, when she donated her $50,000 in Celebrity Jeopardy! earnings to the UN Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking.
Steven Weber
When Chicago Med star Steven Weber appeared on Celebrity Jeopardy!'s second primetime season on ABC in 2024, it was actually his second go-round on the quiz show. Weber had previously come in second place to Cheech Marin on an episode of the 1992 iteration of the charity game. And just so I can say "second" one more time, I'll point out that Weber finished second to Katie Nolan in his most recent appearance.
Dulé Hill
Dulé Hill, who starred in series including The West Wing, Psych and The Wonder Years reboot, tapped danced his way to the semifinals of Celebrity Jeopardy! in 2024. After winning his quarterfinal game of ABC's primetime tournament, the actor ultimately fell to Katie Nolan and Steven Weber but earned $50,000 for the charity All Rise.
Rachel Dratch
Comedian Rachel Dratch was no "Debbie Downer" when she used her trivia knowledge to win $50,000 for City Harvest in 2023. The former Saturday Night Live cast member initially beat WWE star Becky Lynch and My Girl star Macaulay Culkin to advance to the semifinals, where she lost to Mo Rocca.
Heather McMahan
Comedian Heather McMahan can often be seen on the red carpet, interviewing other celebs about their fashion choices. However, the spotlight was all hers when she made it to the semifinals of the celebrity game show in 2024 and was able to donate $50K to City of Refuge.
Andy Richter
Andy Richter may be best known as Conan O'Brien's talk-show sidekick, but the comedian has quite the impressive Jeopardy! resume. In 1999 he competed on the celebrity version of the show, coming in first place to earn $29,400 for the Southern Poverty Law Center. In 2010 he returned and set the record for the highest one-day score in Celebrity Jeopardy! history with $68,000, which was donated to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. In 2022 he returned to the Alex Trebek Stage for a third time, finishing in second place to win $30,000 for The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.
Neil Flynn
Neil Flynn, star of The Middle who has appeared in series like Scrubs and Clone High, appeared in the charity game in 2015 and earned $50,000 for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. En route to the big bucks, Flynn defeated Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan and Will & Grace star Debra Messing.
Joel Kim Booster
Joel Kim Booster has worn a lot of hats in Hollywood — producing, writing and acting, including writing and starring in the 2022 comedy Fire Island — but that year he also was a Celebrity Jeopardy! semifinalist, earning $50,000 for the Selah Neighborhood Homeless Coalition.
Mo Rocca
Humorist Mo Rocca, former correspondent for The Daily Show, first competed on Celebrity Jeopardy! in 2015, where he won $41,600 by defeating The Goldbergs actress Wendi McLendon-Covey and CNN news anchor John Berman. In 2023-24, he returned, making it all the way to the finale before coming in second to Lisa Ann Walter to earn $250,000. In both seasons he was playing for the Inner-City Scholarship Fund.
Bellamy Young
Bellamy Young's character schemed her way to the presidency in the Shonda Rhimes drama Scandal, and while the actress likely isn't stooping to Millie Grant's devious ways in real life, nobody should ever count out this Yale grad. In 2015 she walked away with $50K for Operation Blankets of Love after beating Frozen actor Josh Gad and Good Morning America meteorologist Ginger Zee.
Michael McKean
Michael McKean's Celebrity Jeopardy! journey started back in 1999, when he earned $15,400 for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. He returned in 2006 and won $50,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the International Myeloma Foundation. But the actor who can play everything from a heavy metal rocker in This Is Spinal Tap to a devoted dog daddy in Best in Show to the prickly lawyer Chuck McGill on Better Call Saul didn't stop there. In 2015 he went all the way to win the Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational, donating again to the International Myeloma Foundation.
Aisha Tyler
Comedian and actress Aisha Tyler is one of several celebrities who have appeared on more than one iteration of Celebrity Jeopardy! In the 2009-10 tournament, she defeated Anderson Cooper and Cheech Martin, choosing to split her earnings between the International Rescue Committee and Doctors Without Borders. In 2022 she gave the $30,000 she won as a quarterfinalist to Planned Parenthood after beating John Michael Higgins and Matt Rogers.
Mark Duplass
Mark Duplass is a man of many talents, writing, directing and producing several movies with his brother Jay, as well as acting on shows like The League, The Morning Show and Good American Family, the based-on-a-true-story drama about Natalia Grace, which he's co-starring on opposite Ellen Pompeo. Another of those talents is apparently trivia, as he won $30,000 in 2023 for Blink Now.
Timothy Simons
Timothy Simons is accustomed to making people laugh on comedies like Veep and Nobody Wants This, but the $30,000 he was able to donate to the Friends of LAHSA in 2023 probably put smiles on a bunch of faces as well.
Brian Baumgartner
Brian Baumgartner is best known for playing Kevin on The Office, but while the accountant may not have always been the most amenable, I'm sure nobody at the Motion Picture Television Fund was complaining about the $30,000 donation they got from Baumgartner's 2023 Celebrity Jeopardy! showing.
Alicia Witt
Whether you know her from the horror movie Longlegs, her Hallmark rom-coms or as the rebellious daughter from Cybill, you should know that Alicia Witt is quite the brainiac. She competed on the game show both in 1996 and 1998, winning $10,000 each time for the Pediatric AIDS Foundation and the Covenant House California, respectively. While the 1998 game pitted her against fellow teen stars of her own age in Melissa Joan Hart and Fred Savage, in 1996 she was paired with actor Robert Loggia and actress/writer Renée Taylor, who were both more than 40 years older than Witt.
Christopher Meloni
After winning $25,000 for Smile Train on the Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational in 2009, Law & Order: SVU star Christopher Meloni returned in 2023 and earned $30K to give to the Global Lyme Alliance.
Macaulay Culkin
I'm not sure anyone would expect little Kevin McCallister from Home Alone to hold his own on the Alex Trebek Stage, but Macaulay Culkin, the actor who portrayed him, did just fine. Culkin competed in 2023 and was able to donate $30,000 to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Too bad Catherine O'Hara wasn't around to shout, "Kevin!"
Cynthia Nixon
Actor, producer and political activist Cynthia Nixon won $30,000 on a 2023 episode of Celebrity Jeopardy!, donating her winnings to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. The Sex and the City star finished in third place to Cedric the Entertainer and Heather McMahan.
Amanda Seales
Amanda Seales may be best known for playing Tiffany DuBois on HBO's Insecure, but she's also an accomplished podcaster, comedian, social activist and more. Go ahead and add Celebrity Jeopardy! contestant to that list as well, because in 2023 Seales won $30,000 for the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors supporting Grantmakers for Girls of Color.
Katie Nolan
Known primarily for her work in sports journalism, Katie Nolan proved that her expertise extends far beyond that realm when she made it all the way to the finals of Celebrity Jeopardy! in 2024. In the end she finished in third place behind Lisa Ann Walter and Mo Rocca, earning $100,000 for the Association for Women in Sports Media.
