Nine days after announcing he would replace the late Alex Trebek as permanent host of Jeopardy!, Mike Richards is stepping down from the gig following a bombshell report published by The Ringer that resurfaced old episodes from his podcast in which be made all sorts of misogynist, anti-Semitic, anti-Asian, classist, and fatphobic remarks.
“It pains me that these past incidents and comments have cast such a shadow on Jeopardy! as we look to start a new chapter,” Richards, who served as executive producer of the popular game show before announcing he was taking over as host, said in a statement released this morning.
“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.”
Related: Everyone, including Alex Trebek, is crying over last night’s emotional episode of ‘Jeopardy’
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Among the remarks Richards made on his podcast, which he hosted from 2013 to 2014 and which has since been scrubbed from the internet, were jokes about people who look “frumpy and overweight” in swimsuits, interrogating a female guest about whether she had any nude photos and if he she had pictures of her “boobies,” laughing about Jewish people’s noses, and disparaging people for being on employment.
Many people were already unhappy about Richards being selected as the new permanent host, feeling he unfairly leveraged his position as executive producer to handpick himself for the job over guest hosts like Anderson Cooper, Robin Roberts, and fan favorite LeVar Burton.
Jeopardy! will resume its guest hosting system while Sony Pictures Television looks for a replacement for Richards.
Here’s how Twitter has been responding to Richards’ ousting…
The saddest thing about the Mike Richards/Jeopardy stuff is how replacement-level lame he is — the kind of empty grinning suit every workplace has who fancies himself a disruptor but just breaks stuff because he doesn't know how it works or why it was made that way
— Jon Tayler, Top 0.1% On OnlyJons (@JATayler) August 19, 2021
Mike Richards is really out here acting like no one knew better than to say these things in 2014. https://t.co/NLrRT0JAxg
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) August 19, 2021
it's weird that Mike Richards, head of the Jeopardy host search, did not properly vet Mike Richards, the choice for Jeopardy host, in an exhaustive search lead by Mike Richards
— Imran Khan (@imranzomg) August 20, 2021
Mike RIchards tried to Cheney himself but instead he just got Scaramucci’d
— Sam Sanders (@samsanders) August 20, 2021
Shorter Mike Richards: While I regret that my past behavior is preventing me from using my whiteness to front Jeopardy! rest assured that I will continue working behind the scenes to limit opportunities for women and minorities.
— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) August 20, 2021
My favorite part of the Jeopardy story is all of the folks acting like Mike Richards is the first underqualified white guy with skeletons in his closet to be hired over a bunch of better qualified people.
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) August 19, 2021
#Jeopardy #MikeRichards #alextrebek
My Fall Plans: The Delta Variant: pic.twitter.com/fb8ZRNlYaA— Gordon Stoner (@stoner_gordon) August 19, 2021
Mike Richards thinking he can just slink back to his EP job after saying and doing what he did is peak white privilege.
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) August 20, 2021
What about the guy who hired him, Mike Richards?
— Good Hustle (@unlikelydarling) August 20, 2021
Graham Gremore is the Features Editor and a Staff Writer at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.
ted
Mayim Bialik it is I guess…
ShiningSex
It won’t be her. Idiots want the very boring LeVar to be the next host. He was such a bore.
Cam
He was already in trouble, he was supposed to be in charge of finding a new host, and instead, chose himself. They were already getting backlash over it so his position was already tenuous.
ShiningSex
He didn’t choose himself you idiot. The executive producer doesn’t do that. Maybe look up what their role is.
Cam
@ShiningSex
Thank you for exposing another one of your troll screenames. You got way over the top enraged over a topic that isn’t important.
You can never keep your obsession hidden can you?
That said, if you bothered to look into it, this guy was head of the group looking for a new host. So in other words, you were wrong. How fun is that?
mailliw110
@Shinningsex. That is exactly what the Executive Producer’s job is. You might want to learn what the hierarchy of the business is. The Exec. is like a CEO. They are in charge of the whole show.
Jim
I love LeVar Burton, but his stint wasn’t stellar.
Heard they had focus groups, but it’s all about ratings so why didn’t that play a significant part.
BoomerMyles
Burton took too long in announcing if a response was correct or not and erroneously called a response incorrectly a couple times.
He wasn’t as smooth as the other hosts.
Kangol2
I’m a huge Levar Burton fan but like Jim I thought he was just OK during his stint. Jeopardy fans loved him, though, which is cool. Either way, there were other far stronger candidates than Richards. Mayim Bialik was very good but she does have some outlier views (her controversial views about female victims of sexual harassment, her statement that hers was a “non-vaccinating” family, etc.), so I hope they find someone good to provide balance.
JayP27603
Does the author not possess spelling or grammar check? I had to stop reading this. If the grammatics are that bad I have to question the validity of any of the subject matter. Such a shame that which is pawned off as readable news.
Ken A.
Every blog post has errors. I agree with you.
mailliw110
Is “Spelling Nazi’s” still a thing?
Fahd
I was displeased that Richards was going to be the host, so this is good news for me as far as the show goes. My favorite of the guest hosts was Aaron Rodgers, and I think he could bring a celebrity of a different sort to the show. He also really wants the job. I hope that at least they’ll consider keeping him in the rotation.
lou lou de la falaise
Me too about Richards and Rogers. Most of the guest hosts did a good job and I wonder why choosing one has be such a BFD. Pick someone and move on.
BoomerMyles
Rodgers was real easy on the eyes. WOOF!
Fahd
Rodgers has stated today that he is still available; he loved doing the show.
Ken A.
If he were smart, he’d tell them to FO and host the show anyway. The confusion is, are they mad because he chose himself or people liked him better than anyone else or the podcasts, it just seems that the podcasts were only thrown up later after the announcement. And I’ve heard fat jokes from the gay crowd also. So I reckon they were more upset that he chose himself or was chosen but in my book wasn’t he the better choice since he knows the ins and outs of the show? It wasn’t about the podcasts, it was him hosting the show. And he’s good-looking. Well at least he’s not homophobic. LOL.
Kangol2
Let him try. Jeopardy will lose its regular viewers faster than you can say Ken Jennings!
Cam
Except he wasn’t the most popular, Ken Jennings got higher ratings than he did.
dario717
Had they given it to LeVar Burton, as they should have, this wouldn’t be a problem now.
ShiningSex
LeVar sucks.
If they give it to him now, he knows he got sloppy seconds in pick. LOL.
Cam
@ShiningSex
What a shock, the right wing troll account doesn’t like the Black guy.
duanefn
I only want perfect people. You know those that have never made a negative statement, never cussed, never, made an ugly comment about someone, never made fun of someone when they were in grade school, middle school, or high school. Or have not commented on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or other social media site. Do you think he/she is out there for this gig? Get over yourselves. You cannot change history. People are people we are fallible, and no amount of apologizing is going to change the past.
Please not LeVar Burton. He did not rise to the level of mediocre. What about LeVar’s skeletons? Wait until they get publicized.
Openminded
Excellent points. Alex T. helped make the show what it is and has left some big shoes to fill, but it is still just a television show. No other game show has ever gotten this much push back from replacing long time hosts. Nobody will be as good as Alex was, but one could probably find something questionable in his past. My point is, does it require someone good enough to sit at the feet of Jesus to host a game show?
Cam
@duanefn
Except none of the other people they auditioned had the same troubles now did they?
ShiningSex
LeVar sucks. I don’t get why people want him? Mike Richards made some stupid remarks, but jesus get over it you morons. Bill Cosy got out of prison and where’s the bitching about that POS?
Trump got away with rape, where’s that outrage? He JUST made ignorant comments (some of which were said to a close friend). Choose your battles.
FreeBritney is a waste of breath and this is another small issue when there’s so much going on in our world that needs attention. Try transwomen being murdered. Start there. Stop that problem.
Kangol2
You’re throwing crap at the wall with your whataboutisms. Neither Cosby nor Don the Con is vying to be Jeopardy’s host, and if either were, that show would have zero of its usual viewers. You may dismiss this creep’s comments as “stupid remarks,” but if he were writing hateful comments about “White gay men” would you be as cavalier? His misogyny, anti-Semitism, etc. are disqualifying, especially since he didn’t even acknowledge or apologize for them before this media blow up. Jeopardy can do better than this mediocrity. And you can work to stop the murder of trans women, as we all should.
Cam
Looks like the right wing troll account REALLY gets upset when a white guy gets kicked off and a Black guy might replace him.
Triggered! LOL
cuteguy
@Cam
What right wing troll would stand up for trans women? Seriously, is that label your go to for every comment you don’t agree with? Get help, seriously
mailliw110
Some people can multitask.
LumpyPillows
Didn’t watch any of them. Don’t know or care who they pick. That said, I’m not really bothered by Mike Richards’ outdated, low-bar comedy from years ago that offended no one then, but is career-ending now. This cancel culture stuff, as all my stalkers know, bugs me. Should he be the host based on merit/talent? No idea, like I said I did not watch.
I personally like LeVar and Mayim from their other roles in entertainment. About all I have on this topic. Flame on, trolls.
BoomerMyles
Awww, a privileged white overaged frat boy didn’t get away with making sexist, misogynistic, classiest, racist remarks.
He publicly praised Jeff Probst and Ryan Seacrest as “skinny good looking white guys” who have given hope he can be a game show host.
smudge
I’m 72 years old and continue to be disappointed by the arrogance of the aristocracy. Mr. Richards was my choice from the beginning, but knowing his own background and his current position on the show he should never have thrown his name in the hat and tainted the good name of the show that Alex Trebek spent a career building. Mr. Richards you are an embarrassment to the white race and shame on you and believe me Alex is up there shaking his head too!
dhmonarch89
I think people were more upset by the fact the a producer got the gig over more favored people (Andy Cohenism- he renews his own talk show every year as Bravo Executive and Producer). As for continuing the guest/host search- WHY? Just give it to Levar- he’d be perfect, not doing so would look racist and on top of the problems with this guy, they don’t need that.
Heywood Jablowme
Keep the guest hosts for awhile! Eventually they’ll find a good fit. “Jeopardy!” is a unique institution and a (bi-)national treasure.
I was surprised Queerty didn’t even mention Anderson Cooper (for instance) guest hosting, or for that matter Aaron Rodgers since just a few years ago Queerty was absolutely positive he was bisexual and had a boyfriend who they posted about every week.
cuteguy
You all think Mike Richards is an anomaly? He was just dumb enough to throw his name into the hosting mix but there should be an expose of the many Mike Richards executive producers out there so real change can happen.
ScottOnEarth
What a truly pathetic nation this is when the selection of a f-ing game show host has so many people preoccupied and upset. It’s a game show, people. Get your priorities straight.
Heywood Jablowme
You either get it or you don’t. It’s a secular ritual based on FACTS, which has deep appeal for millions of us. (Btw you should include Canada as your other “pathetic nation”!)
h ttps://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/08/jeopardy-host-debacle-mike-richards-irony/619849/
wooly101
Aaron Rodgers? he was such a drip. I vote for Buzzy.