A front-runner has been revealed in the search for a permanent “Jeopardy!” host to replace the late Alex Trebek -- and they have since come under fire.
The game show’s executive producer Michael Richards guest hosted “Jeopardy!” earlier this year. Last week, reports began to leak saying that Richards was in final talks about replacing Trebek permanently.
“It’s true that I was asked if I would consider hosting the show. I was humbled and deeply honored,” Richards said Monday in a memo. “No final decisions have been made, and discussions with me and other potential hosts are still ongoing.”
Richards noted that the decision regarding a permanent replacement for Trebek is not his to make.
Related: The unanswered ‘Jeopardy!’ question: Who’s the new host?
In a statement, the producer also challenged accusations of discrimination during his time as executive producer on “The Price is Right.”
Lawsuits from models on the show claim they received less work when they became pregnant. One lawsuit was settled for millions of dollars.
In response, Richards says that the way in which his “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.’”
Richards also said that he would not say anything to “disrespect anyone’s pregnancy,” and has always supported his colleagues on their parenting journeys.
“Jeopardy!” is on to its last celebrity guest host, Joe Buck. Sony is running out of time to pick who takes over the show permanently.
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