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Mayim Bialik will temporarily replace Mike Richards as full-time host of the syndicated quiz show “Jeopardy!” after Richards bowed out because of reports of his misogynistic behavior.
“[Bialik] is currently scheduled to tape three weeks of episodes when production resumes this week,” a Sony Television Pictures spokesperson told MarketWatch. “As we move forward with production on this season of ‘Jeopardy!’, additional guest hosts will be announced.”
The search for a replacement for beloved emcee Alex Trebek has been fraught. Sony originally announced earlier this month that the show’s executive producer, Mike Richards, would host the nightly syndicated program, while Bialik would host primetime and spin-off series. But Richards stepped down last week after reports of past discriminatory and misogynistic comments surfaced.
Read more: Newly selected ‘Jeopardy’ host out after scrutiny of past misogynist remarks
“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,” Richards wrote in a note to staff last week. He will continue to be executive producer of the show.
“The Big Bang Theory” actress Mayim Bialik was originally chosen to host spin-off series, such as “Jeopardy! National College Championship.”
Read more: ‘Jeopardy!’ names producer Mike Richards and Mayim Bialik to replace Alex Trebek as hosts
“We took this decision incredibly seriously,” Ravi Ahuja, chairman of Global Television Studios and Corporate Development for Sony Pictures, said in a statement. “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.”
Studio executives “pored over footage from every episode” and got input from viewers before making the decision, he added.
Despite the reported legwork, the decision received mixed reactions from fans on Twitter
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The names of both hosts, as well as snubbed potential picks such as “Reading Rainbow” and “Star Trek” actor LeVar Burton, were trending after the “Jeopardy!” announcement on Wednesday afternoon.
Viewers were quick to point out that Richards has been named in multiple discrimination lawsuits. Before joining “Jeopardy!,” Richards spent a decade each at “The Price Is Right” and “Let’s Make a Deal” as an executive. And during his time at “The Price Is Right,” he was named in pregnancy discrimination and wrongful termination suits.
“Let me save you a click: the two new ‘Jeopardy’ hosts are Mike Richards, who was previously sued for sexual harassment, and Mayim Bialik, who shills bull— ‘brain pills,’ eats placentas, and runs a ‘non-vaccinating family,’” tweeted one writer.
“I want to address the complicated employment issues raised in the press during my time at ‘The Price Is Right’ ten years ago,” Richards wrote in a memo to “Jeopardy!” staff, published in entirety by The Hollywood Reporter this week.
“These were allegations made in employment disputes against the show. I want you all to know that the way in which my comments and actions have been characterized in these complaints does not reflect the reality of who I am or how we worked together on The Price is Right,” he wrote.
And some viewers were upset that the executive producer, who likely had quite a bit of say in choosing the host, was chosen to be the host.
Some people weren’t too stoked about Bialik, either, claiming that the actress was a known anti-vaxxer who also sells brain supplement pills.
But the “Blossom” star, who also earned her PhD in neuroscience, said she was mislabeled as an anti-vaxxer after writing in her 2012 book that her children do not follow a typical vaccine schedule. However, she clarified, her children are indeed vaccinated.
Still, others were upset Bialik was not chosen as a solo host, saying she was sidelined because she’s a woman.
Yet there were some happy campers who celebrated Bialik being chosen as a co-host. So the pick made some viewers very happy.
Finally, there were quite a few fans disappointed that actor Burton, who temporarily hosted the show in July, was not chosen to permanently host.
The 38th season of “Jeopardy!” is set to kick off on Sept. 14. The quiz show made its syndicated debut in 1984 with host Trebek at the helm. He emceed more than 8,200 episodes over 37 seasons. The cherished host died from pancreatic cancer in November 2020. With 41 Emmys, “Jeopardy!” has the most of any other game show.
