Mike Richards, the former 'Jeopardy!' producer who was famously fired after one day as the TV game show's new host, is speaking out about his experience and revealing that he thinks Aaron Rodgers was the most prepared to replace the late Alex Trebek. Richards was tapped to host 'Jeopardy!' following the death of longtime, beloved host Trebek in 2020 from pancreatic cancer. However, he quickly lost the job after hateful comments he'd made years earlier resurfaced.
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00:00 Mike Richards, the former Jeopardy! producer who was famously fired after one day as the show's
00:04 new host, is speaking out about his experience and revealing that he thinks Aaron Rodgers was
00:09 the most prepared to replace the late Alex Trebek. Richards was tapped to host Jeopardy! following
00:14 the death of longtime beloved host Trebek in 2020. However, he quickly lost the job after
00:19 hateful comments he'd made years earlier resurfaced. In a new interview with People
00:22 reflecting on that time period, Richards shared some details about the many famous people who
00:27 auditioned for or guest-hosted the show as producers sought to find a suitable replacement
00:31 for Trebek. According to Richards, Katie Couric was a standout. He said, "The show had a different
00:36 look with Katie Couric. She was so impressed by everyone's knowledge. I always wondered if that
00:40 was a missed opportunity, to reboot the show with her, a completely different host." And
00:44 surprisingly, Jets quarterback Rodgers was also high up on his list of potential hosts for the
00:48 show. Richards said, "Aaron Rodgers was definitely the most prepared. I was blown away by that,
00:53 the intensity in which he prepped, and he was so lovely to everyone on staff." Jeopardy! is now
00:57 hosted by Ken Jennings, the show's highest-earning American contestant. For much more on this story,
01:02 head to THR.com. This is The Hollywood Reporter News.