Answer: This Jeopardy! executive producer is reportedly set to become the permanent host of the beloved trivia show. Question: Who is Mike Richards?
It’s true — after the death of Alex Trebek last year, Sony Pictures Television has decided who’s worthy enough to follow the iconic television personality’s footsteps (although nobody can truly emulate him).
Variety reports that Richards is in advanced negotiations with Sony Pictures Television to become Jeopardy!’s permanent host
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If Richards looks familiar to you, you might’ve seen him as a guest host of Jeopardy! earlier this year. Savannah Guthrie, Katie Couric, Bill Whitaker, Anderson Cooper, LeVar Burton, and the show’s highest-grossing contestant, Ken Jennings, were all just a few of the faces who graced Trebek’s podium in the wake of his death, but Richards’ on-screen charm and quick command of the game made him a front-runner for taking over the role full-time.
Though Richards is best known for executive producing game shows like The Price Is Right, Let’s Make a Deal, and the celebrity edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, he has experience in front of the camera, too: As Variety points out, his earlier entertainment jobs include hosting the WB’s High School Reunion as well as the CW’s Beauty and the Geek.
Trebek, the world’s longest-tenured game show host, died of pancreatic cancer last November. He was 80. His family ensured that his penchant for philanthropy lived on even after his passing by donating his suits, dress shirts, and neckties to charity. Trebek was also posthumously awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host, which was accepted by his children on his behalf.
