TV Presenter Mike Richards, who was appointed as a new host of Jeopardy! on Aug. 11, has stepped down from his recent position.
He announced his departure after just 9 days of joining the US quiz show “Jeopardy”!
TBH, this was expected as The Ringer dug up some of his offensive and sexist comments on a podcast show called The Randumb Show.
The podcast was aired in 2013-2014 and 7 years later this has resurfaced on the Internet to haunt him.
The Official Statement
Immediately after this, Mike Richards who’s also the executive producer of Jeopardy! announced his decision from the show.
In the official statement, he said,”
It pains me that these past incidents and comments have cast such a shadow on Jeopardy! as we look to start a new chapter,” he wrote in a statement announcing his decision.
“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,”
Before joining in as the host of Jeopardy!, it was Richards, the executive producer who helped oversee the search for Alex Trebek’s replacement.
After the death of Alex Trebek, different guest hosts hosted the show for the 2020-2021 season. At last, the search ended with Mike Richards becoming the permanent host of the American quiz show.
However, soon after taking over as the primetime host position, in a staff memo, he wrote, “The controversy had made “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.”
Even though Richards wanted to leave Jeopardy! as the permanent host & executive producer to the show. But the producer & distributor of the US Quiz Show – Sony denied his request and confirmed his status in that upcoming Jeopardy show as an executive producer.
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Sony’s Official Statement
“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 executive producer he will continue to do so with professionalism and respect.”
After concluding the search for a show host, Sony will once again start searching for a permanent replacement host. In the meanwhile, Jeopardy! will continue to get hosted by Guest Hosts.
P.S. Mayim Bialik, the sitcom star, will continue to remain the host of “Jeopardy!” prime-time specials.
That’s all for now. What do you think of Mike Richard’s decision to quit as the permanent host of Jeopardy!? Should a comment that was made ages ago, be considered in high regard?
Do share your thoughts about this in the comments section given below.