Axed ‘Jeopardy!’ Producer Mike Richards Opens Up About Being Fired
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Long-time television producer Mike Richards was at the center of controversy in 2021 when he was chosen as Alex Trebek‘s replacement to host Jeopardy!, only to be fired after just one day on the job.
Richards, who served as the executive producer on Let’s Make a Deal and The Price is Right before moving on to Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune in 2020, was dropped as producer and host after accusations of workplace discrimination and insensitive comments made on a 2013 podcast.
“I hosted one day,” Richards told People in a new interview. “And then the anti-defamation league was called in to do an investigation on me.”
At the time, it came to light that Richards was named in wrongful termination and discrimination lawsuits filed by former The Price is Right models, which led to an ADL investigation.
“I told them I’ll answer anything. I’m an open book, proud of what I’ve done. I’m proud of my track record as a boss,” he shared
However, the damage was done, and Richards’ reputation was in tatters. “But by then, everyone was like, ‘Oh, he’s just a horrible person,'” Richards said. “It was the price you pay for getting thrust into the zeitgeist in a very inopportune moment.”
Richards also admitted he was surprised to have landed the Jeopardy! hosting gig. After Trebek died of pancreatic cancer in November 2020, the iconic game show invited a revolving lineup of guest hosts as it searched for a new permanent host.
“We never discussed how to replace Alex once we knew he was sick,” Richards shared. “A conversation like that would have been so disrespectful. But we had talked about people coming in and guest hosting if Alex got too sick, but we always knew Alex come back until the day he decided he couldn’t.”
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The guest hosts included the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric, LeVar Burton, plus Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings, who were eventually given the job as co-hosts.
“I actually thought we should just name a new host,” Richards admitted. “But when Alex passed away, it was hard on everyone. Jeopardy! fans, the country… there’s was a whole staff of people where he was the only boss they’ve ever known.”
Richards shared his thoughts on some of the guest hosts, revealing, “Aaron Rodgers was definitely the most prepared. I was blown away by the intensity in which he prepped, and he was so lovely to everyone on staff. But ultimately I worried about his other job that he does on a pretty high level. I was like, ‘How are you going to work this out with football scheduling?’ He said, ‘You’ll figure it out!'”
He also said, “ESPN sportscaster Joe Buck took to it the quickest,” and that “The show had a different look with Katie Couric… She was so impressed by everyone’s knowledge. I always wondered if that was a missed opportunity to reboot the show with her, a completely different host.”
However, Richards also had a chance to guest host, having had experience presenting the reality show Beauty & the Geek and Million Dollar Pyramid. He said he tested well with the focus groups but was still shocked when he was given the gig.
“No one was more surprised than me,” he confessed. “They told me, ‘We’d like you to be the host of the syndicated version of Jeopardy!‘ I paused, and said, ‘Oh wow. Thank you. What’s the media plan?’ Because I was very concerned that this was going to be scrutinized as closely as a Presidential election. There was widespread belief that whoever got the job first wouldn’t make it.”
He continued, “Everyone was so angry because it looked like I had gone into a room and picked myself. And that’s not what happens in television, but I understood that that’s what the outward appearances were.”
Richards’ beliefs were proven right; the reaction from fans was divisive, to say the least, and only worsened after the lawsuits came to light. In the end, the former producer recorded just a week’s worth of episodes before he was dropped.
“I did spend a lot of time reflecting on everything that had happened,” he stated. “I mean, it was quite a firestorm that engulfed my family.”
As for his thoughts on Jennings, who is now the sole permanent host following Bialik’s firing in December, Richards said, “I always thought Ken was the guy.”
