Mike Richards steps down as 'Jeopardy!' host, will remain executive producer In a letter to the show's team Friday obtained by USA TODAY, Richards said he was "stepping down as host effective immediately." He also noted that "as a result, we will be canceling production today." Richards will stay on as executive producer for the long-running game show, Sony said in a statement. He has served in the role since May 2019. "We support Mike’s decision to step down as host," Sony's statement read, also noting the company was "surprised" to learn of Richard's podcast and the offensive language he used in the past. On Thursday, Richards, 46, came under fire after past offensive comments made in a since-deleted episode of Richards' podcast, "The Randumb Show". He repeatedly used offensive language to denigrate women's bodies and he also made an offensive comment about Jewish people, according to The Ringer's review. #jeopardy #mikerichards