Jeopardy! Champion Throws Shade at Mike Richards After Firing

Earlier today came the news that after stepping down as host for Jeopardy! that series executive producer Michael Richards was no longer attached to the long running game show at all. According to a report from Variety, Richards was fired from both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune following the multiple controversies around him became public and began to effect the day-to-day life on set. One person clearly not upset to see Richards is no long affiliated with the show is former Jeopardy! champion and “Greatest of All Time” participant
James Holzhauer who did not mince words regarding Richards tenure with the show coming to an end.

In his first tweet on the subject Holzhauer wrote: “Do I think Mike Richards‘s podcast comments were appropriate for polite society? No. But did he deserve the benefit of the doubt for the job he did running Jeopardy? Also no.” He followed this up with a series of other tweets on the subject, one a gif of “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” from The Wizard of Oz and another implying he wouldn’t have watched the show if Richards had gone through as host. Holzhauer tweeted again about it later adding: “Some judged Mike Richards solely on his podcast comments and formed a negative opinion, but I judged him by the way he treated people backstage at Jeopardy and formed a much stronger negative opinion.”

The 37-year-old Holzhauer previously made headlines on Jeopardy! after his 32 game winning streak which netted him over $2.4 million, putting him behind only Ken Jennings in terms of winnings and regular games won. His style of play on the series also became notable as he would frequently select the most valuable clues on the board rather than start from the lowest amount while also jumping across all categories at a whim.

With Richards now out, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire EP Michael Davies has stepped in as the executive producer of the series in the interim while Sony Pictures Television seeks a permanent replacement. The Big Bang Theory alum Mayim Bialik is still serving as the host of Jeopardy! while the search continues for a full-time host as well.