Mike Richards Steps Down As Jeopardy Host

Mike Richards has stepped down as the new daily host of Jeopardy. Richards had been the center of controversy ever since he was announced as host last week.

The announcement that Richards will no longer present the new season of the classic game show follows the backlash to a series of sexist, racist, and homophobic comments that he made on a podcast between 2013 and 2014. Richards is also Jeopardy's executive producer, and in a statement, he said that didn't want his past behavior to overshadow the show, which started production again this week. Read the full statement below, via writer Claire McNear:

It was McNear who broke the story about the comments that Richards made on the podcast The Randumb Show, in an article for Ringer. Richards issued an initial apology on Wednesday this week, stating, "It is humbling to confront a terribly embarrassing moment of misjudgment, thoughtlessness, and insensitivity from nearly a decade ago." However, the controversy was showing little signs of going away.

Even before the Ringer article, there were questions being asked about both the selection process to find a new host for Jeopardy. The series went through a series of guest hosts, including LeVar Burton and Aaron Rodgers, with the expectation that the new host would be chosen from these. However, on August 11, it was announced that Richards himself would be the regular host, with Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik set to host special episodes and prime-time tournaments.

In addition, Richards had previously settled two lawsuits that dated back to his time as executive producer on The Price is Right in the early 2010s. The lawsuits were brought by former models on the show, who alleged that Richards discriminated against them because of pregnancies, and also made insensitive statements. Richards denied any wrongdoing, stating, "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."

The search for a new Jeopardy host followed the death of Alex Trebek, who had hosted the show since 1984 but died in November last year. As Richards' statement indicates, the show will now go back to guests hosts until a new full-time host can be appointed.