Mike Richards resigned as executive producer of “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” in the latest fallout over a report that he used offensive language and disparaged women’s bodies, reports Bloomberg.
Michael Davies, president of Embassy Row, a unit of Sony Pictures Television, will help with the show’s production on an interim basis, Sony said.
Richards stepped down this month as full-time host of the long-running quiz show after a report by The Ringer, a sports and pop culture website, detailed his past comments during a podcast he hosted from 2013 to 2014. Richards, who was already executive producer of the two game shows, initially stayed in that role.
“We had hoped that when Mike stepped down from the host position at ‘Jeopardy!’ it would have minimized the disruption and internal difficulties we have all experienced these last few weeks,” Suzanne Prete, executive vice president of business and strategy for “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!” said in a note to staff. “That clearly has not happened.”
The show’s longtime host, Alex Trebek, died in November after a battle with cancer, and Sony had invited various celebrities to try out to replace him before ultimately picking Richards. His choice was not well received by fans on social media.
Sony has said it plans to resume the search for a permanent host and will bring back guest hosts to continue production for the new season.
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