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Jeopardy! fans woke up to a surprising host from newly hired host Mike Richards on Friday. Less than two weeks after having the coveted job, Richards announced that he would step down from his role and return to producing the show. Many believe his decision was motivated by the backlash he's received for discriminatory comments he made on The Randumb Show in 2013 and the two sexual harassment lawsuits that arose during his time with The Price Is Right. However, Richards didn't directly address those incidents by name in his exit statement.
Immediately after Richards stepped down, fans began to push for LeVar Burton to become the next host of the popular game show. Burton has campaigned to become the show's next host for months. In return, fans put together a petition advocating on Burton's behalf and it garnered more than 250,000 signatures. Ultimately, the former Star Trek actor landed a guest-hosting gig on Jeopardy!, but he was forced to compete with irregular airtimes and the Tokyo Olympics. Despite these setbacks, he remained the overwhelming fan favorite.
While fans of the show have advocated for Burton to lead the show into its next era, a resurfaced interview may throw a new name into the competition. In a 2018 interview, former Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek said that he would like CNN legal analyst Laura Coates to host the show when he left. At the time of the interview, Coates said that she was “incredibly honored” and “humbled” by Trebek's gesture. However, the show's producers did not bring in Coates to guest host the show after Trebek passed away after battling cancer.
Jeopardy! has suspended production on the show indefinitely. At this time, it is unclear when Trebek's permanent replacement will be named.
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