On March 29th, 2019, the long-running game show Jeopardy! announced that its host of over 30 years, Mike Richards, would be stepping down from his position.
The new host of jeopardy 2021 is Mike Richards who will be stepping down as the host of Jeopardy.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (CBSLA) – Mike Richards, who was appointed the new host of “Jeopardy!” less than two weeks ago, has stepped down due to a series of issues surrounding his background.
Mike Richards receives the Outstanding Game Show trophy for Jeopardy! during the 48th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards telecast in this image taken on June 25, 2021. (Photo credit: Getty Images)
Richards, 46, stated in an internal letter Friday morning that he will no longer host the program, but that he will stay on as executive producer.
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Richards was sunk by remarks made on podcasts in 2013 and 2014. According to The Ringer, during episodes of “The Randumb Show,” Richards made derogatory comments against women, little people, the mentally handicapped, and Jews.
Furthermore, discrimination complaints filed by women who worked on “The Price is Right” — where Richards served as executive producer from 2008 to 2018 — have lately resurfaced. Richards joined Jeopardy! as an executive producer in 2019.
Richards has just recently begun filming fresh episodes on Thursday.
Richards said in the letter, “As I indicated last week, I was extremely honored to be invited to host the syndicated program and was delighted by the chance to extend my position.” “However, it has become apparent over the past several days that continuing as host would be too much of a distraction for our viewers and not the best decision for the program.
“As a result, I will be stepping down as host with immediate effect. As a consequence, today’s manufacturing will be canceled.”
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On Aug. 11, Sony Pictures Television announced that Richards will take over as full-time host for the show’s 38th season, while Mayim Bialik of “The Big Bang Theory” would host the show’s prime time and spinoff programs.
Next week, he added, he’ll make an announcement about the guest hosts and the restart of work. It’s still unknown what role Bialik will play in the next months.
“I’d want to apologize to everyone of you for the unwelcome bad attention that Jeopardy! has received! “I apologize for the confusion and inconveniences this has caused over the past several weeks,” Richards said. “I recognize that I have a long way to go in regaining your trust and confidence.”
Alex Trebek, a long-time presenter, died in November after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Trebek has hosted “Jeopardy!” for 35 years and appeared in over 18,000 episodes.
Since his death, the program has featured Aaron Rodgers, Katie Couric, Bill Whitaker, Anderson Cooper, Savannah Guthrie, Sanjay Gupta, LeVar Burton, George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts, Joe Buck, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Buzzy Cohen, and David Faber as guests hosts.
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(CBS Broadcasting Inc., Copyright 2021, All Rights Reserved.) This article was written with the help of City News Service.)
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Richards step down as Jeopardy host?
He stepped down in order to focus on his health, having suffered a mild heart attack in December 2018.
Is Mike Richards still the executive producer of Jeopardy?
Yes, Mike Richards is still the executive producer of Jeopardy.
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