Daily Double: Jeopardy! Announces Both Mike Richards and Mayim Bialik as Hosts

Sony Pictures Television announced on Wednesday that actress Mayim Bialik and producer Mike Richards will be the next hosts of Jeopardy!, with them splitting hosting duties.

The two will succeed Alex Trebek, who hosted the game show from its revival in 1984 until his death in November 2020.

Richards will host the daily syndication, while Bialik will host the show’s primetime and spinoff series, including the Jeopardy! National College Championship on ABC next year.

Since news of Richards as the frontrunner to be Trebek’s successor, two lawsuits filed against him resurfaced. Richards guest-hosted episodes that aired between Feb. 22 and March 5, while Bialik guest-hosted episodes that aired between May 31 and June 11.

In addition to Bialik and Richards, other guest hosts included Jeopardy! icon Ken Jennings, journalist Katie Couric, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, 60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker, former Jeopardy! champion Buzzy Cohen, TODAY co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Good Morning America co-anchors George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts, actor and former Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton, CNBC host David Faber, and Fox sportscaster Joe Buck.

“We took this decision incredibly seriously. A tremendous amount of work and deliberation has gone into it, perhaps more than has ever gone into the selection of hosts for a show – deservedly so because it’s Jeopardy! and we are following the incomparable Alex Trebek,” said Sony Pictures Chairman of Global Television Studios and Corporate Development Ravi Ahuja in a press release. “A senior group of Sony Pictures Television executives pored over footage from every episode, reviewed research from multiple panels and focus groups, and got valuable input from our key partners and ‘Jeopardy!’ viewers.”