The search might be over for the permanent successor for the late Alex Trebek on Jeopardy! According to Variety, Jeopardy! executive producer Mike Richards is in advanced negotiations to be the new host of the long-running game show. Richards served a two-week stint as guest host for Jeopardy! back in February, and many were drawn to his good looks.
A spokesman for Sony Pictures told Variety that there was an ongoing dialogue with other potential candidates while another source “cautioned that there’s no certainty that the sides will close a deal and that other candidates remain in the mix.” However, Richards is clearly the first choice. The article from Variety also explained Richards impressed Sony Pictures “with his command of the fast-paced game and easy on-air manner.”
The news of this prompted individuals on Twitter to voice their dissatisfaction with this news with many expressing Levar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Reading Rainbow) should be the permanent host.
I DON’T CARE ABOUT MIKE RICHARDS, I CARE ABOUT @levarburton
— Bryan Fuller (@BryanFuller) August 5, 2021
https://twitter.com/CreedStonegate/status/1423107035932106755
The damage this guy did to that show and its staff was described to me by somebody on it as the “worst cluster-f I’ve ever seen.” It has the capacity to kill this franchise. https://t.co/h8MpxbVAgH
— Keith Olbermann⌚️ (@KeithOlbermann) August 5, 2021
If Mike Richards becomes the new host of @Jeopardy I will literally stop watching that was the worst two weeks of the show ever please god dont let his execu-bot self get this gig
— aidan (@FaceDeNation) August 5, 2021
https://twitter.com/aishatyler/status/1423060268263804930
Roey Hadar, associate producer/ research of the PBS news show Washington Week and former Jeopardy! contestant, posted a thread on his Twitter account with research into Richards, listing the lawsuits where Richards has been named.
During the election, I did some research threads digging into candidates' past to find issues that could give them trouble with voters.
With news that Mike Richards is the favorite to host Jeopardy, here's a similar thread on Richards:
(Disclosure: I am a former J! contestant)
— Roey Hadar (@roeyhadar) August 4, 2021
2) Richards was named in another lawsuit by model Brandi Cochran, who won $7 million in damages from the show's production companies.
Cochran's suit alleged Richards "implied to her that she would have been… fired had [her] pregnancy not been secret." https://t.co/GgHLzPFunh
— Roey Hadar (@roeyhadar) August 4, 2021
4) Under Richards' tenure, there have been multiple issues with clues.
In June, the show apologized for using an outdated term for a medical condition: https://t.co/AKuitZxRYr
And last month, the show had a factual error in a clue about planets: https://t.co/kCVw2TgSnR
— Roey Hadar (@roeyhadar) August 4, 2021
What are your thoughts on Mike Richards as the possible permanent host for Jeopardy! Let us know in the comments or on our social media accounts.
Sources: Variety, CBS 58, Roey Hadar Twitter Account,
Mike Richards was best host Jeopardy had, I vote for him.
Watch out it looks like the nerds are a little butt hurt 😂