The drama continues to swirl around Jeopardy!’s hosting situation following Alex Trebek’s death late last year, as it was announced this week that executive producer Mike Richards is parting ways with both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Richards drew the ire of many viewers, not just for being named the new Jeopardy! host, following what appeared to be a charade of a guest-host audition process, but also for some offensive comments he’d made that came to light. And you better believe as viewers reacted to the news of Richards’ departure, former series champ James Holzhauer had something to say.
Through this whole Jeopardy! hosting train wreck, James Holzhauer has consistently and relentlessly roasted the process, always happy to tell us how he really feels about Mike Richards. But his opinion was never more apparent than in his tweets following the news about Richards stepping down as EP:
Some judged Mike Richards solely on his podcast comments and formed a negative opinion, but I judged him by the way he treated people backstage at Jeopardy and formed a much stronger negative opinion.
While it was clear from past tweets that James Holzhauer had a negative impression of Jeopardy!’s former executive producer Mike Richards, here we get confirmation that he formed his opinion of Richards first-hand, as their paths must have crossed when Holzhauer was competing on the show. That makes sense, as Holzhauer is one of the winningest Jeopardy! champions ever and has returned for multiple tournaments since his initial run. That wasn’t all Holzhauer had to say, though:
Do I think Mike Richards’s podcast comments were appropriate for polite society? No. But did he deserve the benefit of the doubt for the job he did running Jeopardy? Also no.
Here’s another pointed statement about how Mike Richards' controversial statements on The Randumb Show were inappropriate, but not even the whole reason the professional sports gambler didn’t think Richards deserved the hosting job. At least when James Holzhauer trolled guest hosts Joe Buck and Aaron Rodgers, there was humor to the tweets. But I don’t think there’s any mistaking Holzhauer’s feelings with this one:
The news of Mike Richards leaving Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune follows his stepping down as the iconic quiz show’s new host, a move that in itself drew many celebrities to speak out against the EP as well as the selection process. Many fans were dismayed by the appearance of an audition process, which saw a variety of celebrities — including fan favorite LeVar Burton — take the podium, only to have Richards be given the job in the end.
At the same time that Mike Richards was named the new daytime host, Mayim Bialik was named as the host for primetime episodes and tournaments. Following Richards’ departure, however, Bialik will serve as guest host for the afternoon show while producers find more guest hosts and eventually (hopefully) a permanent replacement.
While we continue to see how things play out there, you can check out Season 2 of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, which premieres at 8 p.m. ET September 26 on ABC, and be sure to check out our 2021 Fall TV Schedule to keep up with the return of all of your favorite shows.
