“Jeopardy!” champion Amy Schneider. (LA Blade file screenshot)
“Jeopardy!” champion Amy Schneider, who became the first transgender contestant to qualify for the Tournament of Champions in November, was robbed at gunpoint over the New Year’s weekend in her home city of Oakland, California.
Schneider, the show’s highest-earning woman, took to Twitter Jan. 3 to tell her over 55,000 followers that she was OK after being robbed.
“Hi all! So, first off: I’m fine. But I got robbed yesterday, lost my ID, credit cards, and phone,” she said. “I then couldn’t really sleep last night, and have been dragging myself around all day trying to replace everything.”
Hi all! So, first off: I’m fine. But I got robbed yesterday, lost my ID, credit cards, and phone. I then couldn’t really sleep last night, and have been dragging myself around all day trying to replace everything.
— Amy Schneider (@Jeopardamy) January 4, 2022
According to the Associated Press, Oakland police said they are investigating the armed robbery that occurred on Sunday afternoon. No arrests have been made.
The robbery took place just days after Schneider won her 21st consecutive game, surpassing Julia Collins as the most winning woman in the show’s history.
To date, Schneider has racked up 25 wins and has earned $918,000 for her efforts, which is also the most money a woman has ever won on the show.
In an email statement to NBC News, a “Jeopardy!” spokesperson said, “We were deeply saddened to hear about this incident, and we reached out to Amy privately to offer our help in any capacity.”
Schneider, an engineering manager from Oakland, has been an inspiration to many during her historic run on the show.
“Seeing trans people anywhere in society that you haven’t seen them before is so valuable for the kids right now that are seeing it,” she told ABC affiliate KGO-TV in November, adding: “I’m so grateful that I am giving some nerdy little trans kid somewhere the realization that this is something they could do, too.”
