Few people are more qualified to chose or be the next host of Jeopardy! than Mike Richards.
Richards is the Executive Producer of Jeopardy! and its sister show Wheel of Fortune. He was also the show-runner for The Price is Right and Let’s Make a Deal. When longtime Price host Bob Barker retired in 2007, Richards unsuccessfully auditioned for the job, losing out to Drew Carey. In addition, Richards hosted game shows Beauty and the Geek and The Pyramid.
Data from LG ads shows that Richards attracted an average viewership of 2.26 million when he guest-hosted the game show in February. Only Jeopardy! Champion Ken Jennings, whose audience topped 2.33 million, fared better. Veteran broadcaster Katie Couric was the only other than a dozen guest hosts to attract more than two million viewers.
“This Mike Richards dude probably getting the Jeopardy! gig is a great example of when a company goes through the motions of interviewing diverse candidates and then just promotes a white person internally like they were planning to do all along, “ Romance Writer Suleikha Snyder said on Twitter.
According to Variety, Richards is in “advanced talks” with Sony Pictures Entertainment about becoming Jeopardy!’s permanent host A CNN report said Richards was the front-runner to replace Trebek, who succumbed to cancer last year after hosting the quiz show for more than three decades
In an internal memo today released to the press, Richards confirmed that both accounts are accurate.
“It is true that I was asked if I would consider hosting the show,” Richards wrote. “I was humbled and deeply honored. No final decisions have been made, and discussions with me and other potential hosts are still ongoing. I know I have mentioned this to you all before, but the choice on this is not my decision and never has been.”
Talks with Sony and other potential hosts are continuing amidst renewed interest in social media about three discrimination lawsuits filed by Price models.
Brandi Cochran and Shane Stirling sued CBS in 2010 and the show's producer FremantleMedia alleging that they fired or being pregnant. The parties reached an out-of-court settlement with Cochran. Stirling’s case was dismissed in 2012.
Another Price model, Lanisha Cole, sued Fremantle, Richards, and another of the show's producers filed suit in 2011, alleging sexual harassment and wrongful termination.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the lawsuit claimed that Richards "had entered into a close, personal and intimate relationship" with another model and "engaged in improper favoritism as a result." A court later removed Richards as a defendant. The Cole suit was settled in 2013.
Richards was co-executive producer and executive producer of the show from 2008 to 2018 before taking his current position at Jeopardy!.
“I want you all to know that the way in which my comments and actions have been characterized in these complaints does not reflect the reality of who I am or how we worked together on The Price is Right,” Richards said. “I know firsthand how special it is to be a parent. It is the most important thing in the world to me. I would not say anything to disrespect anyone’s pregnancy and have always supported my colleagues on their parenting journeys.”
Richards isn’t the only prospective Jeopardy! host facing controversy. Jennings has come under fire for insensitive Tweets. The negative publicity affecting Richards and Jennings may help other wannabe hosts like LeVar Burton.
According to betting aggregators U.S.-Bookies.com, Burton’s odds of becoming the next permanent Jeopardy! host have improved to 11 to 1 from 16 to 1 a week earlier. The odds of Jennings and Richards prevailing have worsened, U.S.-Bookies said.
Fox Sports host Joe Buck will begin his week-long stint as Jeopardy! guest host tonight.
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`Jeopardy!’ Executive Producer Mike Richards Is The Safe Host Choice - Forbes
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