New York (CNN Business)Mike Richards, who was announced arsenic the marque caller host of "Jeopardy!" conscionable past week, said Friday helium has "stepped down" and the amusement is reverting to impermanent hosts for the clip being.
His stunning announcement came 2 days aft The Ringer website exposed a litany of violative comments from his past.
"It pains maine that these past incidents and comments person formed specified a shadiness connected Jeopardy! arsenic we look to commencement a caller chapter," Richards said successful a memo Friday morning.
The beloved crippled amusement began accumulation connected its caller play connected Thursday, which means immoderate episodes with Richards arsenic big person already been taped.
But Friday's tapings person been cancelled, Richards said.
He wrote successful the memo that Sony "will present resume the hunt for a imperishable syndicated host. In the meantime, we volition beryllium bringing backmost impermanent hosts to proceed accumulation for the caller season, details of which volition beryllium announced adjacent week."
The memo indicated that Richards volition stay the enforcement shaper of the show. He said to the staff, "I privation to apologize to each of you for the unwanted antagonistic attraction that has travel to Jeopardy! implicit the past fewer weeks and for the disorder and delays this is present causing. I cognize I person a batch of enactment to bash to regain your spot and confidence."
The nonaccomplishment of spot and assurance came arsenic a effect of Claire McNear's reporting for The Ringer.
McNear, the writer of a caller publication astir "Jeopardy!" and the precocious big Alex Trebek, recovered Richards' aged podcast, for example, successful which helium made derogatory remarks astir small people, Jews, radical receiving unemployment benefits and sexist comments astir women.
He "repeatedly utilized violative connection and disparaged women's bodies," McNear reported.
Richards took down the podcast episodes and apologized, saying "my attempts to beryllium comic and provocative were not acceptable." He said helium intended to unrecorded up to his obligations arsenic a "role model" arsenic the caller "Jeopardy!" host.
After 24 hours, it was wide that his apology was not well-received. The Anti-Defamation League adjacent weighed in, saying that Richards' "disparaging remarks astir Jews, women & Asians are nary laughing matter. Stereotyping is an introduction constituent to hatred and his apology lacks acknowledgment of its harm. This reported signifier warrants an investigation."
Sony, which produces the lucrative crippled show, declined to remark connected Thursday, raising the specter that Richards' estimation was excessively sullied for him to proceed arsenic host.
His memo connected Friday referenced "past incidents and comments" that person "cast specified a shadiness connected Jeopardy! arsenic we look to commencement a caller chapter."
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