Who Is 'Jeopardy!' Guest Host Mike Richards? What to Know About the Executive Producer
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Earlier this year, viewers welcomed Jeopardy! guest host Mike Richards to the lectern. As many folks know, longtime host Alex Trebek’s final episode aired in early January, two months following his death in November. After the holiday season, Ken Jennings was announced as the first guest host to help honor the legendary television star’s memory. Seven weeks later, it was Mike's turn.
Recently, a Variety report revealed that Mike and Sony Pictures Television are in "advanced negotiations" for him to become the next permanent host of Jeopardy!. While nothing is official yet, it's very possible that Mike may soon be declared Alex's official successor.
Who is Jeopardy! guest host Mike Richards?
For those who aren't familiar with Mike, he’s best known as a Jeopardy! executive producer.
Before landing this special Jeopardy! gig, Mike hosted other game shows, including Beauty and the Geek, The Pyramid and Divided. During this time, he was pulling double duty as host and executive producer for Beauty and the Geek and The Pyramid.
Shortly after, in 2008, Mike transitioned over to The Price Is Right where he first served as a co-executive producer. The following year, he became executive producer, but he didn’t stop there — Mike also helped sell the game show Let’s Make a Deal to CBS.
For the next decade, he was the executive producer for The Price Is Right and Let’s Make a Deal. During this time, he was nominated for 17 Daytime Emmy Awards, winning a total of three for The Price Is Right. Last summer, Mike became the EP for Wheel of Fortune, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy!
As it turns out, Mike had little to no time to prepare for the Jeopardy! guest hosting gig. In an interview with USA Today, the California native shared what it was like leading up to the moment he got to stand behind the lectern.
"I didn't know I was going to be doing it until three days before, and so I had not prepared myself to host in the way that I know other guest hosts are," he told the outlet. "So there was just a lot to unpack. Plus, I also only owned one suit, so there was a little bit of scrambling there."
He continued: "It was very fun; humbling doesn't begin to describe the feeling. It hit me like a ton of bricks when Johnny Gilbert announced my name. That's of course the last thing you hear when you start to walk out … and it was overwhelming in the moment."
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