'Jeopardy!' Fans Divided Over Controversial Kanye West Clue

What is pop culture controversy?

On Thursday, March 20, four-time Jeopardy! reigning champion Alex DeFrank was attempting to earn his fifth consecutive win, which would have secured him a coveted spot on the popular game show's Tournament of Champions.

While the contestant from Brooklyn appeared eager to add to his existing $102,400 winnings, he likely didn't expect a clue that would stir up debate among viewers.

Finding himself falling behind in the second round, DeFrank — competing against Massachusetts resident Cameron Berry and Virginian Hillary Hess — buzzed in on a $1,200 clue in the music category "The Song of Roland Drums Machines."

Host Ken Jennings read the answer: "The title of his album 808s and Heartbreak refers to the death of his mother Donda, and to the Roland TR-808 used on the songs."

DeFrank quickly buzzed in and correctly responded, "Who is Kanye West?"

However, some Jeopardy! viewers took to Reddit to voice their frustration over the reference to the controversial rapper.

"That's the fourth Kanye clue this year. Make it stop," one person complained.

Another user chimed in, "I'm not inherently against ever featuring bad living people in clues, but there's an argument to be made that it would be better to feature those sorts of people less often."

"Makes me wonder how far ahead of time they write the clues," a third questioned, noting the musician has "been problematic for a while."

Still, not everyone agreed with the backlash.

"Unpopular opinion here," one user admitted, "but I don't think there's anything wrong with having a Kanye question." The user noted that while West's "recent actions are beyond despicable," the entertainer's "an important part of music history."

Another pointed out: "There are tons of bad people in clues."

The clue may have divided Jeopardy! fans, but one thing was certain: DeFrank's winning streak came to an abrupt end. Finishing with just $4,000 in the final round, he placed last, while Hess came in second with $7,500, and Berry clinched the crown, scoring an impressive $28,600 and the title of champion.