What is a debacle? How the ‘Jeopardy!’ host search went wrong
The category is: Utter Fiascoes. On Aug. 20, Mike Richards, the recently announced successor to Alex Trebek as “Jeopardy!” host, resigned from his new role amid controversy over past comments disparaging women, Jewish people and the homeless.
In a letter to the show’s staff distributed by producer Sony Pictures Television, Richards said he was “stepping down as host effective immediately.” The letter said Sony will resume its search for a permanent host and will bring back guest hosts in the meantime.
Actress Mayim Bialik has been tapped to host primetime specials, and Sony says Richards will remain at “Jeopardy!” as an executive producer.
For longtime “Jeopardy!” fans, the drama over the search to replace Trebek, who died last year after a battle with pancreatic cancer, has recently cast a dark cloud over the venerated quiz show. Even as contestant Matt Amodio became the show’s winningest champion since James Holzhauer in recent weeks, news coverage has focused on Richards’ ascendancy to the hosting job after two years as executive producer, and the past lawsuits, sexist remarks and controversies that hung over him.
The worst part of the public relations debacle is that all of it was avoidable. There were steps Sony could have taken at every stage of the search to ensure a smooth transition, including planning for or even beginning a search while Trebek was still steering the show.
Instead, we’re left with the nasty taste of a disgraced host who lasted for less time than a stomach virus and yet stays on to produce the show. And now we face the prospect of another drawnout search with promising guest hosts, hopeful fans and inevitable disappointments.
How did we get here? And how can the game show crisis be fixed?
The mistakes started in the beginning
After Trebek’s death in 2020, Sony was slow to announce plans to replace him, honoring the legacy of the man who had helped turn “Jeopardy!” into an institution whose every move made news. Ken Jennings, recently crowned the “G.O.A.T” champion and named a consulting producer for the series, signed on for the first six weeks of episodes after Trebek’s last installments aired in January. He was an excellent choice for the transition, someone with a personal connection to Trebek and the game whom viewers had come to know and love over the years.
After Jennings finished his run, Sony announced a series of guest hosts who would fill in for one or two weeks at a time. The list included celebrities such as Katie Couric, NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and fan-favorite Levar Burton, as well as lesser known personalities like former champion Buzzy Cohen, “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker, and of course, Richards, who followed Jennings. Each host, regardless of age, level of fame or current job, was at first presented as a legitimate candidate to become the permanent host.
But to me, it was abundantly clear that some of these people were not real contenders. As someone who writes about TV for a living, and who has watched nearly every episode of “Jeopardy!” in recent months, the tenure of some hosts was clearly just theater, while a select few were really auditioning for the job.
The biggest problem was that most famous hosts had day jobs that they seemed unlikely to leave.
The ‘Jeopardy!’ host is no ordinary game show emcee
Sony’s next big mistake was one no successful “Jeopardy!” contestant would ever make: A lack of research.
Because of its stature as smart and serious, and the gravitas Trebek brought to the program since its current version began in syndication in 1984, “Jeopardy!” is seen by its fans as no ordinary game show.
Contributing: Amy Haneline, Gary Levin