That didn’t take long!
After Jeopardy!‘s newly-appointed host Mike Richards stepped in s**t with past derogatory and offensive comments on his podcast, The Randumb Show, he’s actually decided to step down! Relieving himself of his hosting duties, which has been highly controversial since he scored the gig, he announced the news in a statement on Friday… just one day after the upcoming season started to film with him at the helm!
Mike shared:
“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.”
Sony also addressed the controversy, explaining Mike would continue to serve as executive producer:
“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 EP he will continue to do so with professionalism and respect.”
Inneresting. So, does this mean Mayim Bialik also lost the gig??
Hopefully the Jeopardy! team can make things right with fans by announcing someone actually worthy of being the late Alex Trebek‘s predecessor!
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