Mike Richards Just Lost His Job as 'Jeopardy!' Executive Producer, Too

He's out at the quiz show and "Wheel of Fortune."

Mike Richards Just Lost His Job as 'Jeopardy!' Executive Producer, Too

UPDATE—August 31, 2021, 1:30 p.m.: After losing the hosting gig for Jeopardy!, Mike Richards is now out as executive producer too. Richards was previously an EP at both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, both Sony shows, but either left or was let go, reports Entertainment Weekly. The outlet cites a memo from Suzanne Prete, business and strategy EVP for Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, which read in part, “Mike will no longer be serving as EP of Wheel and Jeopardy effective immediately…. 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.”

UPDATE—August 23, 2021, 3:30 p.m.: Mayim Bialik, who was already tapped to host Jeopardy!’s primetime specials and spin-offs, will officially be taking on the main gig for the time being, according to People. Following Mike Richards’ exit, Bialik has been scheduled to tape 15 episodes of the game show. Per the publication, additional guest hosts will be announced as taping continues for Jeopardy’s upcoming 38th season, premiering on September 13.

UPDATE—August 20, 2021, 11 a.m.: After comments about minority groups made by Mike Richards on podcasts (which have since been scrubbed from the internet) came to light, the executive producer has lost his gig…as host. He will remain an executive producer, per Variety. Whether he quit or was fired isn’t exactly clear; Sony confirmed that he “stepped aside,” and Richards said in a statement that the scandal was “too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show.”

Fan-favorite guest host LeVar Burton tweeted, seemingly in reaction to the news, “Happy Friday, y’all!”

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ORIGINAL STORY—August 11, 2021, 2:43 p.m.: Long-running trivia show Jeopardy! just announced its two new hosts following the very sad passing of Alex Trebek in November 2020.

Executive producer Mike Richards will take the main slot, reports The Daily Beast, although he won’t be the only face associated with the show. The Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik will also be a host, taking the reins during primetime specials and spin-offs, starting with the Jeopardy! National College Championship. In addition to her work on BBT, Blossom, and, most recently, Call Me Kat, Bialik has a doctorate in neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles. Richards was previously an executive at The Price Is Right and recently came under fire when journalists found old allegations of discrimination and harassment made against him during his time there.

Bialik celebrated the new gig on Twitter, writing, “IT’S TRUE!!! Been waiting a long time to tell you all. Really really honored and astounded and excited for this - it’s beyond anything I ever imagined could happen.”

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Others on Twitter, however, weren’t so thrilled about the decision, with many saying LeVar Burton would be a better person to share duties with Bialik. (Some of the other responses have called out Bialik’s previous statements on vaccines; for the record, she’s said that her family is getting the COVID vaccine and she’s not “anti-vaxx.”)

Some fans are swearing to not watch the show on nights when Richards is hosting. “I am the executive producer in my house in charge of watching Jeopardy. I have decided to cancel that time slot,” one wrote.

“Will only watch the nights that Mayim is on,” posted another. “My family has watched Jeopardy every night for as long as I can remember. When I was in college, Mom would call every night to see if I got Final Jeopardy answer.”