Just nine days after he was named host of Jeopardy!, Mike Richards has stepped down from the position.
Richards sent a stunning memo to the show’s staff Friday morning, saying he would no longer serve as host — and the program would switch back to guest hosts — following a string of embarrassing revelations about his past comments.
“I was deeply honored to be asked to host the syndicated show and was thrilled by the opportunity to expand my role. However, over the last several days it has become clear that moving forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show,” Richards said in the memo obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
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Richards, who is also executive producer on the trivia show, went on to apologize to staff members for the scandals that have dogged him since he was named a frontrunner in the show’s search for a new host.
“I want to apologize to each of you for the unwanted negative attention that has come to Jeopardy! over the last few weeks and for the confusion and delays this is now causing. I know I have a lot of work to do to regain your trust and confidence,” he wrote.
Show producer Sony Pictures Television launched what it said was an extensive search for someone new to lead the show after the November 2020 death of beloved host Alex Trebek from pancreatic cancer.
SPT named Richards, along with actress and neuroscientist Mayim Bialik, as permanent hosts on Aug. 11.
“Richards will kick off Season 38 as the full-time host of Jeopardy!’s long-running daily syndicated program,” the company said. “Bialik joins as the host of Jeopardy!’s primetime and spinoff series, including the upcoming all-new Jeopardy! National College Championship set to air on ABC next year.”
Fans took to social media right after the announcement, with many expressing concerns that Richards may have been secretly maneuvering to get the job since he already worked on the show.
Richards joined Jeopardy! as executive producer last year and has hosted other game shows including Divided and The Pyramid.
But Jeopardy! viewers were upset that someone else had not been selected to host from the pool of high profile media, entertainment, and sports figures who served as fill-ins, including LeVar Burton, Katie Couric, Anderson Cooper, Bill Whitaker, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Aaron Rodgers, and Robin Roberts.
Before Richards officially landed the coveted hosting big, he was rumored to be in advanced talks for the job, even as he was dogged by controversy following the resurfacing of harassment and discrimination lawsuits filed by models in 2010 and 2011, when he served as executive producer of The Price is Right.
The first suit was for discrimination and the second was for sexual harassment. The plaintiffs included former Price Is Right model Brandi Cochran, who claimed in a 2010 complaint she was fired after becoming pregnant with twins. Cochran was awarded more than $8.5 million in damages. Richards was dismissed as a defendant in the sexual harassment suit.
On Aug. 9, Richards addressed the scandal over the lawsuits in a memo to Jeopardy! staffers. “The way in which my comments and actions have been characterized in these complaints does not reflect the reality of who I am or how we worked together on The Price is Right,” he said in the memo.
Then on Wednesday, Aug. 18, website The Ringer posted a story resurfacing offensive comments Richards made about women on his podcast “The Randumb Show” in 2013-14, including mocking their weight, calling one model a “booth slut” and repeatedly praising “the average white-guy host.”
Two days later, Richards said he was stepping down as host of the hit show. Read his full memo below:
“Dear Team,
It pains me that these past incidents and comments have cast such a shadow on Jeopardy! as we look to start a new chapter.
As I mentioned last week, I was deeply honored to be asked to host the syndicated show and was thrilled by the opportunity to expand my role. However, over the last several days it has become clear that moving forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show. As such, I will be stepping down as host effective immediately. As a result, we will be canceling production today.
SPT will now resume the search for a permanent syndicated host. In the meantime, we will be bringing back guest hosts to continue production for the new season, details of which will be announced next week.
I want to apologize to each of you for the unwanted negative attention that has come to Jeopardy! over the last few weeks and for the confusion and delays this is now causing. I know I have a lot of work to do to regain your trust and confidence.”
In addition, Sony released the following statement which confirmed that Richards will continue on as the show’s executive producer, if not as Alex Trebek’s successor: “We support Mike’s decision to step down as host. We were surprised this week to learn of Mike’s 2013/2014 podcast and the offensive language he used in the past. We have spoken with him about our concerns and our expectations moving forward. Mike has been with us for the last two years and has led the Jeopardy! team through the most challenging time the show has ever experienced. It is our hope that as EP he will continue to do so with professionalism and respect.”
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