Mike Richards Opens Up About Resigning As 'Jeopardy!' Host After 1 Day

Richards was hired to replace Alex Trebek in 2021 — and his appointment received instant backlash.

More than two years after he stepped down as “Jeopardy!” host amid backlash, Mike Richards is hoping to clear the air.

Richards was announced as longtime “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek’s successor in August 2021, about nine months after Trebek died of pancreatic cancer at age 80.

The news, however, was criticized by many “Jeopardy!” viewers, given that Richards was one of the game show’s executive producers. In addition, “Jeopardy!” had, at that point, featured a rotating list of guest hosts ― including New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former “Reading Rainbow” host LeVar Burton ― who had emerged as fan favorites.

In an interview with People published Wednesday, Richards said that there had been no contingency plan in place as far as finding a replacement for Trebek. When he was formally tapped for the gig, he noted, “No one was more surprised than me.”

“Everyone was so angry because it looked like I had gone into a room and picked myself,” he said. “And that’s not what happens in television, but I understood that that’s what the outward appearances were.”