Mike Richards dumped as executive producer of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune

Deadline

Richards' firing as executive producer comes 11 days after he stepped down as host of Jeopardy! after The Ringer resurfaced offensive podcast comments from his past. Yet despite the controversy and an angry staff meeting last week, it appeared Sony was sticking with Richards behind the scenes, with The New York Times reporting that he was getting a minder and undergoing sensitivity training. But as of today, Richards has been dropped from the show altogether. Who Wants to be a Millionaire's Michael Davies taking over as interim executive producer of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Davies successfully launched the American version of Millionaire and his production company Embassy Row is based at Sony. "I’m writing to let you know that Mike will no longer be serving as EP of Wheel and Jeopardy! effective immediately," Suzanne Prete, Sony TV executive vice president, business and strategy, said in a memo to staff. "We had hoped that when Mike stepped down from the host position at Jeopardy! it would have minimized the disruption and internal difficulties we have all experienced these last few weeks. That clearly has not happened. Michael Davies from Embassy Row has agreed to help with production on an interim basis until further notice. Michael and I will work together with all of you in the weeks ahead to ensure that production remains on schedule and we do not miss a beat as we head into the new season." According to Deadline's Peter White, "it was clear that Richards’ position as EP has been too compromised for him to effectively continue in that role. It’s thought that given he doesn’t have the internal or external support that he needs to lead the team, his exit was in the best interests of the show."