In normal times, Jeopardy! is a sleepy stalwart of network TV. It's comfort viewing for smarty-pants types, devoid of drama outside its contestants' mad dash to buzz in and answer a query in question form. The surprise appointment of Jeopardy! executive producer Mike Richards as late-host Alex Trebek's replacement changed that. Suddenly, the beloved game show was at the center of a maelstrom of scandal and outrage.
First, there was shock that a virtually unknown figure would be taking Trebek's place, when fan favorites like Ken Jennings and LeVar Burton were right there. Then there was the suspicion that Richards had a lot to do with his own appointment, since as Jeopardy!'s relatively new EP, he'd been tasked with finding Trebek's replacement in the first place. He was sued for pregnancy discrimination during his tenure at The Price Is Right, which Sony evidently overlooked. Finally, there was anger when audio surfaced of him spouting cruel and disparaging views about women, the Jewish faith, poor folks and disabled people on his podcast.
