After the death of beloved Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, the producers of the iconic game show looked far and wide for a new host. Or at least, they were supposed to, but in actuality, the host job was handed over to Executive Producer Mike Richards. That didn’t last very long, as allegations resurfaced of harassment and improper behavior toward women by Richards when he was a producer of The Price is Right.
Richards stepped down as the new host earlier this month. He hoped to retain his executive position with the show, but that hope proved to be short-lived. Variety reports today that he has been removed from his role as Executive Producer of both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune.
We had hoped that when Mike stepped down from the host position at Jeopardy! it would have minimized the disruption and internal difficulties we have all experienced these last few weeks. That clearly has not happened.
Sony Executive Vice President of business and strategy Suzanne Pete, in a memo to staff.
With Richards removed as Executive Producer, the search for a permanent new Jeopardy! can begin in earnest, and fans can hope that a more honest search will follow. Until the EP position is filled again, the position is being handled on a temporary basis by the Executive producer of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Michael Davies.
Mayim Bialik has been announced as the interim host of Jeopardy!, but her role is under attack as well for her own controversial past statements and she may not even be able to take the job permanently at all. With Ken Jennings also ineligible for the position due to his own previous comments, the new host for Jeopardy! is still up in the air. Fans are still hoping for LeVar Burton and even Ru Paul has thrown his hat into the ring.
The future of the show looks like it will be rocky for some time into the future until a proper permanent host — and now a new executive producer — is found.
