Source: New York Post
Mike Richards is not the executive producer of Jeopardy! or Wheel of Fortune anymore.
After Alex Trebek died, there were a few guest hosts who anchored the show before Sony Pictures named Richards the new host of the Jeopardy! Two weeks after the announcement, he stepped down after some sexist comments he made years earlier resurfaced. At the time he stepped down, it was still touted that he would remain on the board as the executive producer but that possibility is off the table now.
According to Suzanne Prete in a statement to the cast and crew of both shows, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!’s executive vice president of business and strategy, “This is to inform you all that Mike will no longer be the executive producer of Wheel and Jeopardy! effective immediately. We had hoped that Mike stepping down from being the host of Jeopardy! would have minimised the disruption and internal difficulties we have faced in the last few weeks. That sadly and clearly hasn’t happened.”
Both Wheel and Jeopardy! are expected to remain on schedule with Embassy Row’s Michael Davies assisting with the production of both shows.
“The entire team is taking on this huge blow and I want to express my gratitude to you all for being professional and cooperative in the last few weeks,” Prete continued. “I will be on hand to help with the day-to-day running of our shows, moving forward and I cannot wait to work closely with all of you. Please reach out to me if you need anything,” she added.
Host Mayim Bialik, who was previously slated to lead Jeopardy!’s primetime specials has been named the new interim host to replace Richards.
“It hurts that these past comments I made and incidents have impacted Jeopardy! so much at a time like this,” Richards said as he resigned as host. “I will forever remain honored to have been asked to host the syndicated show and the opportunity to expand my role is one I will cherish forever. However, the last many days have caused such a huge dent and distraction that I would rather not put the show and our esteemed fans through. Hence, I have decided to step down as host immediately and as a result, there will be no production today,” he said.
