Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
US QUIZ SHOW Jeopardy! is on the hunt for another new host today after Mike Richards resigned just nine days after getting the job.
Richards had been lined up to replace Alex Trebek, who died of cancer last year, but was a controversial choice because of his past involvement in employment discrimination lawsuits filed by women.
Days after he was appointed, reports emerged of disparaging comments about women that he made on a podcast eight years ago, heaping pressure on the 46-year-old and his bosses at Sony Pictures Television.
“It pains me that these past incidents and comments have cast such a shadow on Jeopardy! as we look to start a new chapter,” Richards said in a note to staff, seen by AFP.
“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.”
Sports and pop culture website theringer.com reported this week that it had trawled through episodes of “The Randumb Show,” a podcast Richards hosted in 2013-14, finding a number of comments relating to women and nudity.
A Sony Pictures Television spokesperson said today the company supported Richards’ decision to step down.
“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,” the spokesperson said.
“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 (executive producer) he will continue to do so with professionalism and respect.”
Richards had been due to share hosting duties with “The Big Bang Theory” alum Mayim Bialik.
She was appointed to front the primetime events and special spin-offs while he was given the regular syndicated shows.
Their appointments had apparently ended a long hunt for a host after Trebek’s much-mourned death, which saw producers scroll through a Who’s Who of American celebrity life that included top journalists and sport stars.
That search was back on today, Richards said, with details of the roster of guest hosts to be announced next week.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Cancel Culture strikes again.
@Martin O Connell: *consequences for one’s actions
@Martin O Connell: He seems to have taken it on the chin. Maybe you should too.
@Martin O Connell: don’t know what that means huh?
@Martin O Connell: I came here for the comments and was not disappointed. It’s cute how you use the term “cancel culture” like that’s an actual thing. Fox News in the USA made up that phrase. It’s propaganda. You’ve been sheepled.
They’ll just have to replace all these pesky hosts with robots. Fecking humans do too many things wrong when they’re not at work.
Is there anyone good enough for a public facing role these days? Even if you found the perfect host/politician/actor I’m sure they would have done something in primary or secondary school that would justify their downfall
@Quiet Goer: Well, if you host a podcast that is publicly available and make disparaging comments about people, then that’s being at work and being an a/r/s/ehole. That should justify your downfall.
@Graham O’Brien: 8 years ago
@Graham O’Brien: get over it. This cancel culture needs to stop
@Hugh Morris: lol, “cancel culture”. Adorbs.
Tis funny really that as certain cohorts of societies will tell us that the world is embracing the most liberal of eras in our human history that the reality tends to demonstrate an even more subtle and worrying revert to a Puritan based society.
There must be a new word for this which I’ll happily throw out to the more intelligent readers.
The whole thing is upside down and inside out with no central ground that one can measure their position on either side of the scale they would traditionally place themselves on.
@Gavin Linden: there is no agreed-upon standard of truth, right, wrong etc. happening at the moment, so while it may look Puritan in its approach, it is a morally relativistic “religion” which means that whatever someone happens to think is wrong at the moment will be disparaged.
It was probably actually easier when the Bible was the agreed upon standard of truth because we knew what the rules were, and if you went against it you actually knew what you were going against.
What central ground do you propose we measure ourselves against?
@Gavin Linden: yeah that’s true the “liberal” left has now gone so far around the circle in terms of dogma it is now almost joined the old far right right in terms of fascist dogma and dictatorship.
You cannot say that.
Do as I say
You cannot do that
You cannot have that opinion
Do not express it
If you do it will have consequences
We will Cancel you
You must think and do like we do
You must conform
You must conform
@UK Hurling Bloke:
@UK Hurling Bloke:
@UK Hurling Bloke: Are you trying to defend an unpopular US show host? If he went out of his way to mock subscribers, they lose viewers. That’s showbiz.
Clue for 1000 Fired from hosting Jeopardy..
“what are the consequences of making disparaging comments about women”
@Pateen Johncruck: a sore jaw after a swift jab from your wife?
LeVar Burton
@Sheila Larkin: Mr La Forge
I nominate Ryan Tubridy for the job. Ha Ha Ho Ho Hee Hee, what a brilliant show we have for you tonight folks…
Ye got to love the Americans for their due diligence. Appoint someone that has more baggage than the bloke being sacked.
@Paul Gorry:
Who do you mean? Trebek died, Richards gave himself the job of presenting,and retains his Exec Producer job, and Mayim Bialik only has the baggage of a phd in neuroscience and some books and a bit of television shows
@Paul Gorry: id1ot
And there he was …. gone.
Author has left out half the story. The other half is that he was the executive producer in charge of finding a replacement and after auditioning a load of people he chose himself at the 11th hour despite having no experience and the fans of the show have been complaining constantly claiming conflict of interest. Also, Trebek apparently chose Ken Jennings before he died who is definitely the fan favorite.
Give it to Ken Jennings.
@Edmund Murphy: ha ha yes. Perfect. He would not even need the right responses in front of him ha ha ha he would know them all!
Right decision but apparently Bialik being anti-vax is just fine???
@Graham Manning: she isn’t she had a concern about one particular vaccine and vaccinated her children with other shots instead
@Craic_a_tower: Oh, well that’s OK so.
have your say