Alex Trebek hosted Jeopardy for 36 years, and the most controversial thing about him was when he shaved his mustache.
Mike Richards, who got the job last week, didn’t even last 36 hours as the host of the game show before stepping down due to things he said on his podcast around 2013. Richards began taping new episodes yesterday and announced this morning that he will not be continuing on in front of the camera.
He wrote in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, “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.”
Meanwhile, Sony Pictures Television wrote this, “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.”
It will be interesting to see what they are going to do with yesterday’s episodes because of Matt Amodio’s winning streak. They can’t just scrap whatever they filmed.
Now that they are going back to guest hosts, I hope they get Neil deGrasse Tyson, Rivers Cuomo, and Weird Al Yankovic to try out. Who do you want to see get the job?
Oh, and you LeVar Burton fans didn’t watch his episodes. Because of that, his were the lowest-rated episodes. Therefore, I don’t think he will be offered the gig. Sorry.
It will be interesting to see who they eventually settle on. Because nowadays no one is safe from a controversial past…
