Lately, Mike Richards injected a dose of drama into the Jeopardy! world. It started earlier this month when Sony announced that Richards would host the weekday episodes of the show. Fans found it suspicious that one of the people closely linked to the host selection process just so happened to be named the series’ new host. Then, less than two weeks later, Richards stepped down from the job. This came after many of his previous crude, offensive, and sexist comments came to light. Additionally, reports of previous workplace discrimination lawsuits that named the EP surfaced. In short, Richards was bad for the brand. However, most Jeopardy! alums have stayed silent. James Holzhauer isn’t one to hold his tongue.
When Richards announced that he was walking away from the hosting position, James Holzhauer roasted him on Twitter. His sarcastic tweet aligned with many Jeopardy! fans’ assumptions that the hosting selection process was rigged.
It looks like Jeopardy James isn’t done roasting Richards. Earlier today, James Holzhauer blasted the former host once again after the New York Times reported that he would still hold his executive producer position on the show.
“Everyone was awaiting this week’s announcement of Jeopardy’s new executive producer,” James Holzhauer wrote. “Only to be gobsmacked that they chose Mike Richards.”
James Holzhauer Hits the Mark
James Holzhauer is correct. Many people thought that Mike Richards and Sony would negotiate his exit from both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. After all, Richards has proven himself to be poison for the show’s brand. A brief look at any Jeopardy!-related item on the internet shows little to no support for Richards among the show’s fanbase. In fact, some fans worry that Richards’ position as EP will make things uncomfortable for contestants as well as staffers on the quiz show’s set.
In recent years, the world has watched higher-profile figures taken away from bigger productions for less. So, James Holzhauer and other Jeopardy! fans were not too far out in a leftfield in thinking that Richards would be removed from the series completely.
However, the New York Times article stated that Sony stands behind Richards wholeheartedly. In fact, executives expect the staff of the show to keep their criticisms of Richards to themselves. More specifically, they’ve told the show’s not to speak to reporters at all. So, anyone who steps forward must do so anonymously.
The one positive thing that Jeopardy! fans can count on moving forward is James Holzhauer’s pointed tweets. He is one of the biggest names associated with the show. So, him regularly roasting Richards feels like some small vindication in the face of a situation that some viewers think is ruining the show’s hard-won reputation.
