LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Mayim Bialik will fill in as the host of syndicated episodes of “Jeopardy!” in the wake of Mike Richards’ exit.
Sony Pictures Television, which produces the long-running quiz show, announced that Bialik is scheduled to tape three weeks of episodes when production resumes this week for a total of 15 episodes. Per Sony, additional guest hosts will be announced at a later date.
It was previously announced that Bialik would host primetime “Jeopardy!” specials when Richards was chosen as the full-time host. However, Richards released a statement on Aug. 20 that he would step down from hosting the show, nine days after he was chosen. He will remain with the show as an executive producer.
Richards’ unceremonious exit from the hosting gig came after episodes of a podcast he hosted while an executive producer on “The Price Is Right” resurfaced. In the podcast, Richards repeatedly made disparaging comments about women. This came on the heels of revelations that Richards was named in a lawsuit by former “Price Is Right” models who accused him of making insensitive statements and taking other questionable actions around models on the show who became pregnant.
At the time of his exit, Richards had already taped multiple episodes, which will air as scheduled to maintain continuity with the contestants who won on those episodes.
Richards and Bialik were two of the guests hosts for “Jeopardy!” as the show sought a permanent for replacement long-time host Alex Trebek after his death due to pancreatic cancer in November 2020. Others included LeVar Burton, Savannah Guthrie, Aaron Rodgers, and Ken Jennings. Richards’ selection as host was met with backlash from fans of the show, who believed that he had used his position as executive producer to influence the process in his favor.