JUST IN: Mike Richards OUT as Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune Executive Producer
Sony Pictures Television has announced that Mike Richards is no longer the executive producer of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune after a series of controversies.
“I’m writing to let you know that Mike will no longer be serving as EP of Wheel and Jeopardy! effective immediately,” announced Suzanne Prete, EVP, Business and Strategy. “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. That clearly has not happened.”
JUST IN: Mike Richards out as Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune EP, per note to staff from Suzanne Prete, Sony EVP, Business and Strategy pic.twitter.com/FsTp2dW7IY
— David Mack (@davidmackau) August 31, 2021
Prete goes on to say Embassy Row’s Michael Davies will take over production on an interim basis “until further notice.” Richards’ firing is the latest development in the bizarre saga to find a permanent host for Jeopardy! after the passing of Alex Trebek.
Richards was set to take Trebek’s place, but just as his host-ship got underway, there was a public re-emergence of the discrimination lawsuits he faced back when he was EP of The Price Is Right. These lawsuits revolved around allegations that Richards presided over a toxic work environment, plus Richards was also under fire over a number of offensive comments he made on a podcast years ago.
The controversy prompted Richards to give an apologetic announcement that he would step down as host, though he retained his executive producer position. This fueled public speculation about whether the new host decision was rigged in Richards’ favor, given his influence over the selection.
