Jeopardy! As multiple scandals from his past have been revealed, Mike Richards is officially the new host of Jeopardy!
Richards was viewed as the frontrunner for Jeopardy!'s permanent host earlier this month. However, he came under fire this week after making offensive and sexist remarks on a podcast he hosted many years ago. Richards was also accused of discrimination in his role as executive producer and co-executive producers at The Price is Right, a position he held between 2008 and 2019. He then moved to Jeopardy! Recent weeks have seen the emergence of 2020recently.
Richards made his announcement in an internal memo to staff on Friday. He stated that it was clear that moving forward with host duties would be too distracting for our viewers and not the best move for the show.
Sony Pictures Television later stated that Richards would remain as executive producer while the program searches for a replacement for Alex Trebek. Trebek was the show's beloved face for 36 years. Trebek died in November 2020.
Mike has been with us the past two years and has been the Jeopardy! The statement said that the show had been through the most difficult time it has ever seen. We hope that he will be able to continue his role as executive producer with professionalism and respect.
Here's the scoop on Richards controversy and what next for Jeopardy!
Mike Richards was selected to be the Jeopardy! Host
Sony announced that Richards, who had been serving as a rotating guest host on Jeopardy! for two weeks earlier in the year, would now be the show's new regular host. Mayim Bialik, a former star of Big Bang Theory would then take over as host of prime-time specials and spinoffs.
This decision was widely criticized as many fans hoped that other popular guests hosts like LeVar Burton, former Reading Rainbow host, or Jeopardy would be chosen. The executive producer originally charged with the search was Ken Jennings. Instead, Ken Jennings would be selected for the gig. The backlash against Richards' discrimination during his tenure at The Price is Right continued. It all started when Richards was elected the Jeopardy! Richards was elected host this month.
Richards was involved in numerous employment lawsuits brought by former models of The Price Is Right. One such complaint, filed in 2010, in which Brandi Cochran, a model, claimed that Richards and other producers had discriminated against her because she was pregnant. Cochran won the case in 2012 and was awarded $8.5million in damages. The decision was reversed the following year, and the case was finally settled outside of court.
Richards addressed these allegations in an Aug. 9 email to Jeopardy! Staff argued that Richards' comments and actions don't reflect his true character. He said that he would not disrespect any woman's pregnancy and had always supported his colleagues in their parenting journeys.
The Ringer published Wednesday a report detailing the offensive comments Richards made during his time hosting The Randumb Show podcast, 2013-2014. The Ringer obtained audio clips from Richards before the 41 podcast episodes were removed from their website on Tuesday. Richards is reportedly heard making derogatory remarks about women, Asians and Jews and using derogatory language for little people as well as people with mental disabilities.
Richards calls his former assistant Beth Triffon a booth hon and booth slut in one instance while discussing her role as a model at CES. He also said that Triffon's female friends are really fat and overweight after seeing them in swimsuits.
The Anti-Defamation League called for an investigation into Richards' behavior before he left Friday.
New Jeopardy! The organization posted on Twitter that Mike Richards' disparaging remarks regarding Jews, Asians, and women are not a laughing matter. Stereotyping is a gateway to hatred and Richards' apology does not acknowledge its harm. This pattern should be investigated.
What's next for Jeopardy? What's next for Jeopardy?
Jeopardy!'s search for a permanent host will continue once Richards is gone. Richards stated in his Friday memo, however, that the show would be bringing back guests hosts to continue production for the next season.
He said that he wanted to apologize to everyone for the unwelcome negative attention that Jeopardy has received over the past few weeks, as well as for the confusion and delays it is now causing. To regain your trust, I know that I have much work ahead of me.
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Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com.
