Mike Richards out as ‘Jeopardy!’ host after past scrutinized

By LYNN ELBER
AP Television Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Producer Mike Richards stepped down from his brief tenure as host of “Jeopardy!” after a report about past misogynistic comments surfaced this week and following a drumbeat of criticism about his selection and how it was made. Richards was chosen last week as the successor to Alex Trebek, but his selection was seen as divisive from the beginning after the show embarked on a broad search that included actors, sports figures, journalists and celebrities. Earlier this week, a report on the website The Ringer revealed demeaning comments about women that Richards had made on a podcast. Richards says in a note to the “Jeopardy!” staff on Friday that moving forward would be too much of a “distraction for our fans.”