With Mike Richards no longer hosting, and no permanent host, what's next for Jeopardy!? -- Callie Frederick, 7th Grade

On August 11, 2021, Mike Richards was crowned permanent host of America’s favorite game show, Jeopardy!. Then, just a week later, he relinquished that position, and on August 31, Richards was asked to step down from his positions as executive producer on Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. With Richards no longer hosting, what’s next for Jeopardy!?
So what exactly warranted this? During his time as executive producer at The Price is Right, several lawsuits were filed against him for the mistreatment of female employees, including discriminatory comments about a pregnant employee. Richards also hosted a podcast, The Randumb Show, from 2013 to 2014, in which he made multiple offensive and sexist remarks. However, while these are the reasons he was eventually asked to step down from his hosting/producing positions, there was already controversy about Richards being chosen as host. According to The New York Times, “Mr. Richards was already facing a furor before this week. As the show’s executive producer, Mr. Richards helped oversee the search for Mr. Trebek’s replacement before Sony picked him over fan favorites like the actor LeVar Burton.”.
Actor Mayim Bialik is currently guest hosting the show, but Jeopardy! will need a permanent host eventually. A few of the most popular candidates for this coveted position (based on J! ratings, excluding Richards) are Jeopardy! record-setter Ken Jennings, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and newscaster Katie Couric. According to a Newsweek poll, LeVar Burton (who had the lowest ratings of all the guest hosts) was the most popular candidate among Jeopardy! watchers.
So what exactly warranted this? During his time as executive producer at The Price is Right, several lawsuits were filed against him for the mistreatment of female employees, including discriminatory comments about a pregnant employee. Richards also hosted a podcast, The Randumb Show, from 2013 to 2014, in which he made multiple offensive and sexist remarks. However, while these are the reasons he was eventually asked to step down from his hosting/producing positions, there was already controversy about Richards being chosen as host. According to The New York Times, “Mr. Richards was already facing a furor before this week. As the show’s executive producer, Mr. Richards helped oversee the search for Mr. Trebek’s replacement before Sony picked him over fan favorites like the actor LeVar Burton.”.
Actor Mayim Bialik is currently guest hosting the show, but Jeopardy! will need a permanent host eventually. A few of the most popular candidates for this coveted position (based on J! ratings, excluding Richards) are Jeopardy! record-setter Ken Jennings, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and newscaster Katie Couric. According to a Newsweek poll, LeVar Burton (who had the lowest ratings of all the guest hosts) was the most popular candidate among Jeopardy! watchers.

Many agree that Burton deserves another chance, as the 2021 Summer Olympics were airing during the time he hosted. Burton, to many fans, seems like the perfect candidate for the job, with his intellectual yet warm demeanor, calm and clear voice, and love for Jeopardy!: "I am a fan of Jeopardy! going back to fifth grade when Art Fleming was the host. So, I won't say, every night of my life, but most nights of my life from that time to now I have watched Jeopardy!. My daughter is 27, we've watched it every night of her life too."
*Editor's note: Since this article was published, it was announced that Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik will split hosting privileges for the remainder of 2021, and LeVar Burton stated that he no longer wants to host.
*Editor's note: Since this article was published, it was announced that Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik will split hosting privileges for the remainder of 2021, and LeVar Burton stated that he no longer wants to host.