Richards announced the decision to quit the job in a memo to Jeopardy! staff on Friday. The decision comes days after podcasts resurfaced in which he made offensive comments about women, Jews and Haitians. Richards wrote, produced and hosted The Randumb Show for 41 episodes in 2013 and 2014. The controversy prompted a response from the Anti-Defamation League calling upon Jeopardy! producer Sony Pictures Television to investigate Richards’ anti-Semitism. In the memo to staff, Richards wrote that “moving forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show.” Read the memo in full: This fall the beloved syndicated game show will enter its 38th season and has more than 21 million viewers per week. Richards joined Jeopardy! in 2020 after producing over 4,000 hours of game show programming. The show’s producer and distributor, Sony Pictures Television, says that Richards will remain Jeopardy!’s executive producer. It pains me that these past incidents and comments have cast such a shadow on Jeopardy! as we look to start a new chapter. As I mentioned last week, I was deeply honored to be asked to host the syndicated show and was thrilled by the opportunity to expand my role. However, over the last several days it has become clear that moving forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show. As such, I will be stepping down as host effective immediately. As a result, we will be canceling production today. SPT will now resume the search for a permanent syndicated host. In the meantime, we will be bringing back guest hosts to continue production for the new season, details of which will be announced next week. I want to apologize to each of you for the unwanted negative attention that has come to Jeopardy! over the last few weeks and for the confusion and delays this is now causing. I know I have a lot of work to do to regain your trust and confidence. Mike “We support Mike’s decision to step down as host,” the company said in a statement. “We were surprised this week to learn of Mike’s 2013/2014 podcast and the offensive language he used in the past. We have spoken with him about our concerns and our expectations moving forward.” Sony Pictures added “Mike has been with us for the last two years and has led the Jeopardy! team through the most challenging time the show has ever experienced. It is our hope that as EP he will continue to do so with professionalism and respect.” A search for a new host has resumed. Sony Pictures will resume its search for a new permanent host and will continue with a slate of guest hosts. Next, See the Full List of Jeopardy! Guest Hosts
