Sony announced Tuesday that Mike Richards, the executive producer of Jeopardy! would be leaving his position immediately. This is a shocking downfall for an impresario of game shows who had just three weeks ago secured the job of replacement host Alex Trebek.
It was our hope that Mike's resignation from Jeopardy! would have reduced the disruptions and internal problems we all have experienced over the last few weeks. Suzanne Prete, a Sony executive wrote in a memo Tuesday to staff. This clearly hasn't happened.
He will also be leaving his position as executive producer of Wheel of Fortune.
On Aug. 11, Sony named Mr. Richards the permanent host of Jeopardy!!, describing him as a unique talent. However, Mr. Richards resigned on August 20, after The Ringer reported offensive and sexist comments that he made on a podcast a few years back. This was just the latest scandal to tarnish his short tenure. Sony executives had initially supported Mr. Richards's decision to remain in the production role.
After serving as host of the show for 37 years, Mr. Trebek died in 2020. The contest to replace him at the top was a huge success and featured a parade potential successors, including Ken Jennings and LeVar Burton, former contestants.
