‘Jeopardy!’ Prospective Host Mike Richards Sparks Call for Investigation After Podcast Comments

Jeopardy! prospective host Mike Richards has faced tons of scrutiny since rumor spread that he was the lead to take the job on the classic game show. While many have cried foul over Richards since the rumors spread and were later confirmed true, new revelations have brought severe attention from the Anti-Defamation League.

The ADL published a statement on Thursday critical of Richards and his comments on a podcast titled The Randumb Show, which he hosted from 2013 until 2014. Across the 41 episodes of the series, Richards made comments that the ADL was appalled to hear.

“New Jeopardy! host Mike Richards’ disparaging remarks about Jews, women & Asians are no laughing matter. Stereotyping is an entry point to hate and his apology lacks acknowledgment of its harm. This reported pattern warrants an investigation,” the statement reads.

According to The Ringer‘s Claire McNear, Richards reportedly makes offensive and sexist comments to his younger female co-hosts. He also makes comments related to Haitians and Jews. This includes referring to one of his co-hosts as a “booth slut” after she appeared as a promo model at CES. He also made off-color comments about Jewish people, reportedly saying, “Ixnay on the ose-nay. She’s not an ew-jay.”

After the details came to light, Richards released a lengthy apology. “It is humbling to confront a terribly embarrassing moment of misjudgment, thoughtlessness, and insensitivity from nearly a decade ago. Looking back now, there is no excuse, of course, for the comments I made on this podcast and I am deeply sorry,” Richards says in the statement. “The podcast was intended to be a series of irreverent conversations between longtime friends who had a history of joking around. Even with the passage of time, it’s more than clear that my attempts to be funny and provocative were not acceptable, and I have removed the episodes. My responsibilities today as a father, husband, and a public personality who speaks to many people through my role on television means I have substantial and serious obligations as a role model, and I intend to live up to them.”

As he noted in the statement, the podcasts and the host site were wiped from the internet after The Ringer started reaching out for a comment, according to Deadline. This latest bit of controversy follows the revival of Richards’ involvement in a number of lawsuits while producer of The Price is Right. He has been the executive producer on Jeopardy! since 2019.