Well, this is upsetting to learn.
Jeopardy! fans may never stop mourning the loss of longtime host Alex Trebek, but obviously someone needed to step into those shoes if the show was going to continue. However, the initial choice that was made did not go over well.
First, Mike Richards was the least recognizable of all the guest hosts, so we were all scratching our heads. Then we learned he was the executive producer of the show, leading to immediate comparisons to Dick Cheney, the former VP who was tasked with choosing a running mate for George W. Bush and came back with… himself. It smacked of selfish narcissism. Then to learn he’s had multiple problems with women in the past? Sexist and fatphobic comments, being sued for discrimination against pregnant women and new mothers, allegedly sleeping with an employee while working at The Price Is Right??
Luckily on Friday, he stepped down from the hosting role following all the controversy. So, now the team has an opportunity to listen to what Trebek wanted all along! Yes, the man himself named a potential successor back in 2018, two years before his death. Two, actually. In an interview with TMZ‘s Harvey Levin in 2018, he threw out two possibilities he had already “mentioned” to the show’s producers.
One was Alex Faust, a sports announcer who does the play-by-play commentary for the LA Kings. Trebek was a big hockey fan, so it makes sense he’d find that voice comforting.
The other name is the one everyone is talking about in light of Richards’ sexism controversies — a woman named Laura Coates. Trebek said:
“There is an attorney, Laura Coates, she’s African-American, and she appears on some of the cable news shows from time to time.”
Here she is in action (below):
As well as being a legal analyst for CNN, Laura is also a talk radio host, having led The Laura Coates Show on SiriusXM since 2017. Her expertise is legit; The 41-year-old is an adjunct law professor at the George Washington University School of Law. She does speaking engagements around the country on civil rights, social justice, and economic empowerment.
It sounds like she may be the polar opposite of problematic! And to top it off, she’s a fan of the show! She tweeted after Trebek’s mention:
“Incredibly honored & humbled @Jeopardy Alex Trebek 1) knows who I am 2) thinks I’d be a great host of my fave game show ever that I grew up watching w/ my family & still watch w/ my own kids (who saw him say this & now think I’m a genius) #Dying”
And yet…
Laura never even got an audition. Neither of Trebek’s choices did, in fact. It’s almost like someone didn’t want the late legend’s opinion to be a factor. Hopefully they do the right thing this time around and give Laura a shot — or even fan favorite LeVar Burton. What a MESS!
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