”It has become clear that moving forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show,“ he says in note to staff

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Mike Richards is stepping down as the new host of “Jeopardy!” He informed the Sony quiz show’s staff this morning in an email.

“It has become clear that moving forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show,” Richards wrote.

Production on the show was canceled today.

The search for a permanent host of the syndicated show will resume, Richards said. For now, the long-running game show will go back to the guest-host model.

Based on Richards’s use of “we” in his note, it sounds like he will remain executive producer on the program. TheWrap asked Sony if that was the case, though we did not immediately hear back.

See his full note below.

Dear Team,
It pains me that these past incidents and comments have cast such a shadow on Jeopardy! as we look to start a new chapter. 

As I mentioned last week, I was deeply honored to be asked to host the syndicated show and was thrilled by the opportunity to expand my role. However, over the last several days it has become clear that moving forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show. As such, I will be stepping down as host effective immediately. As a result, we will be canceling production today.

SPT will now resume the search for a permanent syndicated host. In the meantime, we will be bringing back guest hosts to continue production for the new season, details of which will be announced next week.

I want to apologize to each of you for the unwanted negative attention that has come to Jeopardy! over the last few weeks and for the confusion and delays this is now causing. I know I have a lot of work to do to regain your trust and confidence. 

Mike

More to come…

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