Mike Richards Is Out as ‘Jeopardy!’ Executive Producer

Sony mentioned on Tuesday that Mike Richards would instantly exit his job as the chief producer of “Jeopardy!,” finishing a shocking downfall for a game-show impresario who simply three weeks in the past had secured one of the vital coveted jobs in tv because the substitute for the longtime host Alex Trebek.

“We had hoped that when Mike stepped down from the host place at ‘Jeopardy!’ it will have minimized the disruption and inside difficulties we have now all skilled these previous few weeks,” a Sony govt, Suzanne Prete, wrote in a memo to employees on Tuesday. “That clearly has not occurred.”

Mr. Richards can also be set to depart his function as govt producer of “Wheel of Fortune.”

Sony had named Mr. Richards because the everlasting host of “Jeopardy!” on Aug. 11, calling him a “distinctive expertise.” However Mr. Richards stop the internet hosting job on Aug. 20, days after a report by The Ringer revealed offensive and sexist feedback he had made on a podcast a number of years in the past, the newest in a collection of scandals that tarred his transient tenure. Executives at Sony had initially signaled help for Mr. Richards to remain on within the manufacturing function.

The competitors to switch Mr. Trebek, who died in 2020 after serving because the present’s host for 37 years, captivated “Jeopardy!” followers and featured a parade of potential successors together with the previous contestant Ken Jennings and the actor LeVar Burton.

However it was Mr. Richards who gained out, regardless of having just about no title recognition amongst viewers and the truth that, because the present’s govt producer, he had overseen parts of the substitute course of. Previous lawsuits additionally resurfaced from Mr. Richards’s final job working “The Value Is Proper” that included accusations of sexist conduct.

Mr. Richards taped one week’s value of “Jeopardy!” episodes in a single day of filming earlier than Sony introduced that he had ceded the internet hosting job. (These episodes will nonetheless air the week of Sept. 13.) The previous sitcom star Mayim Bialik is anticipated to stay because the host of “Jeopardy!” prime-time specials, however Sony has mentioned it will resume the seek for a substitute for Mr. Trebek’s weeknight slot. Ms. Bialik would be the first visitor host of the common program rather than Mr. Richards.

Initially, Sony had mentioned Mr. Richards would stay as govt producer even after he had stepped down as host, however his continued presence on the present grew to become untenable. Crew members confronted Mr. Richards in an emotional assembly on Aug. 19 the place they expressed dismay at his previous conduct and mentioned it had imperiled the present’s repute.

“Jeopardy!” first aired in 1964 and have become a beloved TV establishment that also attracts thousands and thousands of weekly viewers. The furor surrounding Mr. Richards pierced the present’s above-the-fray repute, lengthy cultivated by the understated Mr. Trebek, and subjected it to intense debates about range, privilege and conduct within the trendy office.

Sony’s management was additionally dealing with scrutiny for the mess. “Jeopardy!” had been a dependable jewel within the studio’s tv portfolio, quietly incomes tens of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in annual income. However its messy succession drama roiled followers and raised questions on why Sony had not found Mr. Richards’s previous offensive conduct earlier than naming him as the brand new host.

The report in The Ringer revealed offensive feedback Mr. Richards made on a podcast, together with a 2013 episode the place Mr. Richards referred to as his feminine co-host a “sales space slut” as a result of she as soon as labored as a mannequin at a client present in Las Vegas. He described girls who put on one-piece swimsuits as trying “actually frumpy and chubby” and referred to stereotypes about Jews and enormous noses, prompting outrage from the Anti-Defamation League.

Some “Jeopardy!” followers had mentioned they have been confused as to why Mr. Richards was being allowed to remain on as govt producer. “It looks like he doesn’t fairly understand the gravity of his mistake and thinks that if he simply stays behind the scenes, then every thing will blow over,” Andy Saunders, who runs the web site The Jeopardy! Fan, mentioned in an interview.

Mr. Richards, in a memo to the “Jeopardy!” employees on Aug. 20 asserting he would step down as host, wrote that “it pains me that these previous incidents and feedback have forged such a shadow on ‘Jeopardy!’ as we glance to start out a brand new chapter.”

He closed the memo by writing, “I do know I’ve quite a lot of work to do to regain your belief and confidence.”

He’ll now not have the possibility.