Jeopardy! Host Search

Overview

Jeopardy! Host Search refers to the public effort on the part of Sony Pictures to select a host of long-running trivia game show Jeopardy! after the November 2020 passing of its first host Alex Trebek after 37 seasons being the sole host of the show. In the months after Trebek's passing, Sony Pictures ran episodes in which multiple guest hosts filled the role, fueling speculation as to who would take the permanent spot. After months of speculation and a notable fan push to give the role to actor Levar Burton, Sony Pictures announced that the show's executive producer, Mike Richards, would take the nightly slot and that actress Mayim Bialik would host specials and spinoff tournaments. The decision proved controversial, and ultimately, scandals and comments made in Richards' past caused him to resign from the position. Bialik ultimately ended up hosting the nightly series and Ken Jennings hosts specials and spinoffs.

Background

On November 8th, 2020, Alex Trebek, the only host of Jeopardy! in the show's history to that point, passed away at the age of 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. After the final episode with Trebek as host aired in early 2021, Sony Pictures announced that a series of guest hosts would succeed Trebek until they made a decision on a permanent new host. The guest host episodes ran through August of 2021, with Mike Richards, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Aaron Rodgers, Savannah Guthrie, Robin Roberts, Ken Jennings Bill Whitaker, Joe Buck, Katie Couric, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Mayim Bialik, Anderson Cooper, Buzzy Cohen, David Faber, and Levar Burton receiving turns as the guest host.^[1]

Developments

Mike Richards

On August 5th, 2021, Variety^[4] reported that Mike Richards, Jeopardy!'s executive producer, was the frontrunner for the job. At the time, reports suggested that Sony's executives were impressed with Richard's "command of the fast-paced game and easy on-air manner." Critics agreed that Richards did an admirable job during his time as guest host.^[1] Nevertheless, fans were still upset at the rumor, as many viewed it as a nepotistic decision, as though Richards was giving the job to himself. Richards insisted that he was not involved with the decision, saying it was the call of Sony executives.

On August 11th, Sony officially named Richards the permanent nightly host of Jeopardy!, while Mayim Bialik would handle tournaments and spin-off series.

Resignation

At the time Richards' name began circulating as the leading candidate to host Jeopardy!, critics noted elements of his past that they felt should disqualify him from the role. During Richards' time as executive producer on The Price Is Right, he allegedly harassed a model on the set after she got pregnant. A harassment lawsuit awarded the model, Brandi Cochran, $7 million.

On August 18th, 2021, The Ringer^[5] reported that in addition to the lawsuit scandal, Richards repeatedly used derogatory language on his 2013-2014 podcast The Randumb Show, such as calling a female co-host a "booth ho" and a "booth slut" and joking about wanting to see her "boobie pics."^[6]

On August 20th, 2021, a week after he was announced as host, Richards resigned from the position.^[6] The show will continue using guest hosts until it finds a new permanent host.

Levar Burton

Between January and August 2021, fans of the show notably pushed for Levar Burton, an actor and the host of Reading Rainbow, to receive the permanent position as Trebek's successor. Burton himself also made no secret of the fact he wanted the role.^[2] The petition was a factor in getting Burton a spot as a guest host,^[3] but critics tended to agree he was one of the weaker guest hosts.^[1] His episodes received some of the lowest ratings during the show's guest host era.

Despite this, the online push for Burton to take the role did not cease and was amplified after Mike Richards' scandals and eventual resignation. On August 20th, after Richards' resignation, actor Ryan Reynolds^[7] tweeted a comparison between the fan push for him to get the role of Deadpool to Burton's quest to get on Jeopardy!, receiving over 18,000 retweets and 210,000 likes (shown below).

Search Interest

External References