Mike Richards is reportedly seeking legal counsel in his relationship with Sony after leaving Jeopardy! It’s been a wild few weeks for the executive producer turned game show host. He named himself to the position, in the face of massive public displeasure. Then, abuse allegations and reports of misconduct came to light from a report from The Ringer. Soon after, Sony made the decision to go in another direction, and the Internet widely celebrated. There were subtweets from past champions and fans alike. But, according to Matthew Belloni’s newsletter What I’m Hearing, things are going to get a bit more interesting in the coming days. There might be some legal wrestling to endure on the way to a resolution.
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Belloni’s reporting indicates that Bryan Freedman has been tabbed in the event of actual legal action against the company. Freedman reportedly alleges that Sony is to blame for their “mishandling” of the situation around the host search. It is not hyperbole to say that Richards lost all three of his jobs due to the backlash from the hiring. (And his own misconduct along the way!) The litigator is pointing towards Sony being the one responsible for the precarious position the former host finds himself in at this moment. Apparently, there are also some concerns that he will have trouble finding work again after all this fervor on social media.
Sony wrote a memo to all their staff informing them of Richards’ departure from Jeopardy! “I’m writing to let you know that Mike will no longer be serving as EP of Wheel and Jeopardy! effective immediately,” executive vice president of business and strategy Suzanne Pete wrote in a memo to staff members on the two long-running game shows. “We had hoped that when Mike stepped down from the host position at Jeopardy! it would have minimized the disruption and internal difficulties we have all experienced these last few weeks. That clearly has not happened.”
Richards previously released his own statement as well, “I was deeply honored to be asked to host the syndicated show and was thrilled by the opportunity to expand my role,” the executive producer wrote. “However, over the last several days it has become clear that moving forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show. As such, I will be stepping down as host effective immediately.”
Have you been keeping up with the Jeopardy! drama? Let us know down in the comments!
