WHAT IS...UNEXPECTED?

Mike Richards Will Still Run ‘Jeopardy!’ Despite Hosting Fiasco

Richards stepped down as host of the game show last week after reports came out about sexist and anti-Semitic comments he’d made on his podcast.

Despite drawing the ire of Hollywood celebrities and casual fans alike, Mike Richards will stay on as executive producer of Jeopardy!, according to the The New York Times. Sony made its support for him clear during a Monday staff call in which executives reportedly said they stand by him as a producer and praised his decision to step down. “Mike is committed to continuing as the executive producer of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune,” Ed Tagliaferri, a spokesman for Richards, told the outlet, saying Richards will also be attending sensitivity training. The move follows speculation that Richards was negotiating an exit from the studio, with Sony instead appointing business and legal executive Suzanne Prete to oversee both Jeopardy! and Richards.

Richards stepped down from hosting the show last week after The Ringer reported sexist and anti-Semitic comments Richards made on his podcast. Mayim Bialik, of The Big Bang Theory fame, who was announced as a host for Jeopardy! specials, took over interim weekday hosting duties.