Jeopardy! appears poised to keep its dual hosts for its 39th season. Deadline reports co-guest hosts Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings are negotiating to continue splitting the duties when the popular game show returns for Season 39. Sony Pictures TV, which produces Jeopardy!, wouldn’t comment on the report, but if it turns out to be true, would mean fans would get to enjoy another season of the duo, which became a hit with fans. After the passing of longtime Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, producer Mike Richards was named the show’s new host. However, he stepped down from the role after only one day of tapings.
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Mayim Bialik previously hosted Jeopardy!‘s primetime episodes and spinoffs, while Ken Jennings is a former Jeopardy! champion. Bialik’s negotiations reportedly focused on how much she would be available for tapings considering she is also starring in the Fox series Call Me Kat.
Mike Richards came under fire after multiple reports of his offensive behavior in years past and his abuse of power onย Jeopardy!. Sony Television released a statement from Richards in August 2021 explaining his decision to step down.
“I was deeply honored to be asked to host the syndicated show and was thrilled by the opportunity to expand my role,” Richards wrote in the statement. “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.”
The first of multiple controversies surrounding Richards came whenย he was announced as the new host. Richards was the executive producer of Jeopardy!, and one of the people most involved with the search for Trebek’s successor. His appointment made the entire guest host system feel like a ruse to a large segment of the fandom. He was originally announced as the full-time Jeopardy! host, while The Big Bang Theory alum Mayim Bialik was revealed to be the host of special tournaments and spinoffs.
Sony Television eventually fired Mike Richards as the executive producer of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune after he exited his short-lived hosting gig. “I’m writing to let you know that Mike will no longer be serving as EP ofย Wheelย andย Jeopardy!ย 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 atย Jeopardy!ย it would have minimized the disruption and internal difficulties we have all experienced these last few weeks. That clearly has not happened.”
