‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Are Not Holding Back Their Judgments After Mike Richards Stepped Down As Host

Following a damning report on his history of sexist and racist remarks, Mike Richards has stepped down as the host of Jeopardy! as the controversy surrounding his selection to replace Alex Trebek continued to bring one embarrassing headline after another for the iconic game show.

After Claire McNear of The Ringer unearthed Richards’ old podcast where he made remarks about women’s bodies along with problematic comments on Jews and Asians, Variety reported on Thursday that Sony Pictures was starting to consider “alternative scenarios for the host slot” even though Richards had just begun filming new episodes that day. However, by Friday morning, Richards was out, and McNear’s reporting is being widely credited on social media as the final nail in the coffin.

— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) August 20, 2021

my fall plans / the delta variant pic.twitter.com/vYthx7px7f

— Fake Jeopardy! Stories (@fake_jeopardy) August 19, 2021

Considering he was the show’s executive producer, Richards being chosen as the new host of Jeopardy! was already a controversial decision. Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings was believed to be a solid candidate for successor, and there was a sizable fan campaign to see LeVar Burton become the new host. However, fans of the classic game show were shocked by Richards being chosen, and that decision was soon followed by damaging headlines about his past controversies on The Price Is Right and revelatory reports that he had more influence on the selection process than his public statements suggested.

In a nutshell, people on Twitter are not holding back their thoughts on the Richards fiasco.

— Linda Holmes Thinks You're Doing Great (@lindaholmes) August 20, 2021

Y'all could have had Levar Burton and none of this PR nightmare… https://t.co/L5ZL4bEqma

— Melissa Ryan (@MelissaRyan) August 20, 2021

Mike Richards run as Jeopardy host pic.twitter.com/6Ul9HIMItz

— Shooter McGavin (@ShooterMcGavin_) August 20, 2021