Days after the announcement was made, Mike Richards has now announced that he will be stepping down from the hosting role of Jeopardy!
(Sony Pictures Television)
What’s Happening:
- Deadline has reported that Mike Richards will step down from the Jeopardy! hosting role following multiple controversies that have come up from his past from insensitive comments.
- Richards will stay on as executive producer while guest hosts take over as a search for a permanent host begins once again.
- As previously announced, Mayim Bialik will continue 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, as the studio looks to extend the Jeopardy! franchise to new platforms.
- Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time winner Ken Jennings will return as consulting producer for the show.
- New episodes of Jeopardy! are set to launch on September 13, 2021.
Deadline shared the internal memo sent by Richards you can read 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.
Mike”
About Jeopardy!
- Jeopardy!, America’s Favorite Quiz Show is in its 38th season in syndication. With a weekly audience of over 20 million viewers, Jeopardy! is the top-rated quiz show on television, and has received numerous awards and honors. The show has won a total of 42 Emmy Awards, holds the Guinness World Records title for the most Emmy Awards won by a TV game show, and received a Peabody Award for “celebrating and rewarding knowledge.”