Mike Richards Out As Jeopardy! Host Following Backlash

That was a short stint!

Mike Richards will no longer be succeeding Alex Trebek on Jeopardy!

Richards announced his exit in an internal memo, which reads as follows:

Dear Team, It pains me that these past incidents and comments have cast such a shadow on Jeopardy! as we look to start a new chapter.

As I mentioned last week, I was deeply honored to be asked to host the syndicated show and was thrilled by the opportunity to expand my role.

However, over the last several days it has become clear that moving forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show.

As such, I will be stepping down as host effective immediately. As a result, we will be canceling production today.

SPT will now resume the search for a permanent syndicated host. In the meantime, we will be bringing back guest hosts to continue production for the new season, details of which will be announced next week.

I want to apologize to each of you for the unwanted negative attention that has come to Jeopardy! over the last few weeks and for the confusion and delays this is now causing.

I know I have a lot of work to do to regain your trust and confidence.

Mike

News of his exit comes a week after it was announced he would be hosting the daytime iteration of the series.

The move comes after a report from The Ringer that brought up comments made by Richards on his podcast The Randumb Show.

The comments included Richards mocking women's weight, praising "the average white-guy host," and calling a model a "booth slut."

Richards previously issued a statement following the backlash to the comments.

“It is humbling to confront a terribly embarrassing moment of misjudgment, thoughtlessness, and insensitivity from nearly a decade ago," he said.

"Looking back now, there is no excuse, of course, for the comments I made on this podcast and I am deeply sorry."

He continued, "The podcast was intended to be a series of irreverent conversations between longtime friends who had a history of joking around. Even with the passage of time, it’s more than clear that my attempts to be funny and provocative were not acceptable, and I have removed the episodes."

"My responsibilities today as a father, husband, and a public personality who speaks to many people through my role on television means I have substantial and serious obligations as a role model, and I intend to live up to them.”