In the not too distant future, a new category on ‘Jeopardy’ called “Backstage at Sony” may offer the answer – “He was the host of the program for only nine days, until discrimination lawsuits and anti-Semitic comments from his past resurfaced.”
While Mike Richards is saying he’ll be staying on as executive producer for Sony’s most popular game show, Jeopardy, he let it be known on Friday, August 20, 2021 that he is leaving as host “effective immediately.” A series of sexist and anti-Semitic comments he made several years ago has come back to haunt him, and the so the searh for a replacemtn for the late Alex Trebek will resume.
Richards announced his resignation in a memo to the staff of ‘Jeopardy’ at Sony Pictures Television. The schedule for guest hosts and the resumption of production is expected to be made public this week.
The comments that revealed Richards’ misogynistic and anti-minority attitudes came out on podcasts that were released in 2013 and 2014. According to The Ringer, “Richards made disparaging remarks about women, little people, the mentally disabled and Jews during episodes of the “The Randumb Show.”
Also casting a shadow on Richards are discrimination lawsuits filed by several women who worked on “The Price is Right,” where Richards was executive producer for a decade from from 2008 to 2018. According to Variety, “Richards was accused of pregnancy discrimination in two complaints filed by former “Price Is Right” models. He was accused of making insensitive statements and taking other questionable actions around models on the show who became pregnant.”
Whether there are more uncomfortable comments or legal complaints may decide his tenure off camera at the venerable show.
Someone could win big with “Backstage at Sony” by giving the the question “Who was Mike Richards?”
Judith Martin-Straw
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