Just catching up on the ‘Jeopardy!’ controversy? Here’s how we got here
Searching for the most topsy-turvy drama on television right now? You could do worse than the search for the next “Jeopardy!” host.
Mike Richards, the long-running quiz show’s executive producer, stepped down as host Friday, just more than a week after his selection was announced. The move, announced in a memo to “Jeopardy!” staff, closes — for now — one of the most tumultuous periods in the series’ history.
Richards’ very selection sparked an outcry on social media. The series had passed over a number of starry guest hosts, among them Katie Couric, Aaron Rodgers and Levar Burton, for a well-reviewed but little-known insider, and missed an opportunity for the landmark in representation that casting a woman and/or person of color to lead a TV institution would have been.
The controversy brought new scrutiny to three discrimination lawsuits filed by “The Price Is Right” employees between 2008 and 2011, when Richards was an executive producer on the game show. (Richards, who wrote in an earlier memo that the complaints mischaracterized who he was and how he worked on “The Price Is Right,” was dismissed as a defendant in one of the suits; another suit was dismissed altogether; and the third was settled out of court.)
The final straw, though, seems to have been a report Wednesday by The Ringer‘s Claire McNear, who resurfaced offensive remarks about women, Jews and little people Richards made on a podcast he hosted in 2013 and 2014.
“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,” Richards wrote in Friday’s memo resigning from the role of host.
As the search for a full-time host resumes, the syndicated program, which is produced by Sony Pictures Television, will return to the rotating guest-host format it has maintained since the death of Alex Trebek in November. Mayim Bialik, already tapped to host the series’ prime-time specials and a possible spinoff, is likely to be among the top contenders for the job.
Read The Times’ full coverage of how we got here below.
Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings, who both had the ‘Jeopardy!’ helm before now-ousted Mike Richards was named host, will swap weeks through year’s end.
‘Jeopardy!’ will return to a guest-host format and search anew for a full-time host as Mike Richards steps down. He will remain as executive producer.
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“My attempts to be funny and provocative were not acceptable,” “Jeopardy!” host Mike Richards said about sexist comments he made on his old podcast.
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‘Jeopardy!’ goes in an unexpected direction, naming two replacements for the late Alex Trebek. New host Mike Richards’ legal past had been under scrutiny.
Executive producer is the leading candidate to replace Alex Trebek but is drawing backlash over his past.
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With ‘Jeopardy!’ executive producer Mike Richards in the lead to replace the game show’s late host Alex Trebek, lawsuits filed during his ‘Price Is Right’ years resurface.
“Good Morning America” co-anchors Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos and Fox sportscaster Joe Buck also will fill in as “Jeopardy!” guest hosts.
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Fans of actor LeVar Burton are vowing to boycott “Jeopardy!” after executive producer Mike Richards and actor Mayim Bialik were named new hosts.
The Green Bay Packers quarterback begins a two-week stint as guest host on Monday.
“For little girls everywhere, it’s cool to be smart,” Katie Couric said before stepping in for the late Alex Trebek as guest host of “Jeopardy!”
Ken Jennings? Katie Couric? Mike Richards? Sony is casting a wide net for one of TV’s top jobs.
In his decades on “Jeopardy!” Alex Trebek, who died Sunday from pancreatic cancer, became more than a TV host: He was, in his way, a leader.
In remembrance of Alex Trebek, who died Sunday after a battle with pancreatic cancer, here’s a roundup of some of the longtime “Jeopardy!” host’s best moments.
The late Alex Trebek made a “Herculean” effort to tape his final “Jeopardy!” episodes, a producer says. They’ll air this week, along with a tribute to the host.
After a long battle with pancreatic cancer, the celebrated game show host passed away at his home.
Alex Trebek is happy being an uncle figure in your life, and he’s not afraid to describe cancer’s personal toll. He sits down to talk about his memoir, “The Answer Is ... Reflections on My Life.”
Longtime “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek has been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
