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American TV producer Mike Richards has stepped down as the host of Jeopardy! just 10 days after being appointed. However, he will reportedly continue his role as the executive producer of the ABC game show.
Sony has been looking for a permanent anchor of the show ever since legendary broadcaster Alex Trebek passed away last November. Trebek served as the face of Jeopardy! for 37 consecutive seasons.
Following appearances from a series of celebrity guest hosts, Mike Richards declared himself as the new permanent anchor of Jeopardy! He began filming for the show on August 19, 2021.
However, Mike Richards’ appointment was met with severe criticism from netizens and other celebrities alike. The 46-year also came under fire after several sexist and racially inappropriate remarks from his past resurfaced online.
This prompted an investigation by the Anti-Defamation League, ultimately leading to Mike Richards' exit from the show. Despite the online outrage, Sony has decided to air Richards’ episodes to maintain the continuity format of the game.
The former Beauty and the Geek host will reportedly appear on five upcoming episodes of Jeopardy! Season 38. Matt Amodio, the show's third-highest winning contestant, will also mark his return alongside Richards.
Matt will reportedly appear on the first episode of the show and will advance if he manages to maintain his remarkable streak.
Mike Richards' Jeopardy! episodes will reportedly air from September 13, 2021. His appearance as a host will continue for the first week of the new season.
The internet reacts to Mike Richards’ steps down from Jeopardy!
Mike Richards' appointment as the new host of Jeopardy! was disapproved by audiences from beginning, as people questioned the entire selection process of the show.
Things took a turn for the worse when an investigation by The Ringer allegedly revealed Richards’ demeaning comments about women, Jews and the disabled community during his 2013-2014 appearance on The Randumb Show.
The outlet reportedly came across older lawsuits against him for alleged mistreatment, discrimination and harassment of female and pregnant employees when he was executive producer of The Price Is Right.
In response to the severe backlash from the online community, Mike Richards decided to step down as the host of Jeopardy! He took to Twitter to issue a lengthy statement regarding his exit:
“It pains me that these past incidents and comments have cast such a shadow on Jeopardy! as we look to start a new chapter… 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.”
Meanwhile, Sony TV Network told Variety that they were shocked to find Richards’ past behavior and support his decision to quit the show as a host:
“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.”
Following Mike Richards’ exit, several social media users took to Twitter to react to his decision and call out the host for his controversial actions. Many users also demanded Richards’ exit as the EP of the show:
However, Sony TV defended Richards’ decision to continue as the executive producer of Jeopardy!:
“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.”
As reactions continue to pour in online, it remains to be seen if Mike Richards will be able to make a return from the setback caused by his past controversies.
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