Mike Richards will host tonight’s “Jeopardy!” Season 38 premiere despite stepping down from the role last month and then losing his job as executive producer.
As TheWrap previously reported, Richards was named the permanent host of the long-running game show on Aug. 11, taking over for the late Alex Trebek and a string of guest hosts.
On Aug. 20, Richards stepped down from the role after sexist and disparaging comments he made about women from his 2013 podcast resurfaced. On Aug. 31, he was fired from his role as executive producer of “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune.”
At the time of his firing, he had already taped five episodes as host; those episodes will air this week.
Starting next week, Mayim Bialik, the host of the primetime “Jeopardy!” specials, will host for three weeks. The game show will then return to a series of rotating hosts.
Tonight, fans will see if returning champion Matt Amodio can continue his impressive winning streak. The 30-year-old Yale student ended last season with 18 consecutive wins and $574,801 in prize money, landing him in third place on the “Jeopardy!” all-time highest winnings list behind legends Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer.
It was announced that beginning with Season 38, “Jeopardy!” will tape on the Alex Trebek Stage. Trebek’s wife and children were on hand for the naming.
Trebek died last November after battling pancreatic cancer. He was 80. See the stage dedication below: