Sorry Folks, ‘Jeopardy!’ Host Mike Richards Is a Married Man
Even after 36 years on the air, Jeopardy! is still a powerhouse on TV. The tragic loss of long-time host Alex Trebek in November 2020, however, had fans wondering how the show will go on. After a series of guest stars, it seems the iconic quiz show has finally found its new permanent host in Mike Richards — and he has a lot of fans wondering if he’s single, dating, or married.
Who is Mike Richards?
Mike Richards may have looked familiar to many game show fans before he even appeared as a guest host in 2020 on Jeopardy! According to Variety, he hosted shows like Beauty and the Geek and High School Reunion early in his career. Eventually, his career as a host would be overshadowed by his career behind the camera, though.
Richards started as a co-executive producer at The Price Is Right and was one of the original executive producers of CBS’s Let’s Make a Deal revival. He ended up coming to Jeopardy! as executive producer as one of the most experienced professionals in the game show world. After Trebek’s death in 2020, Richards was one of the guest hosts who helped fill in for a few weeks, and it’s been rumored for a while that he was eyeing the host job.
Who is Mike Richards’ wife?
While Mike Richards may have spent most of his life very visible to the public, his wife seems to be fairly private. His wife’s name is Stephanie Richards. The couple has two boys and they live in Burbank, Calif.
While his wife has been spotted at a public event once in a while, Mike seems to be very careful to keep his celebrity status from interfering with his family’s privacy. His social media accounts and press images never feature his family, and their internet profiles are very private.
Family does seem to be a very important part of Richards’ life, though. He’s spoken at length in interviews about how much his family means to him. According to The List, one of the last conversations Richards had with Trebek was about his kids, with Alex worried that school closures may be affecting them. “He called it a challenge to humanity,” Richards said of the conversation. “He wanted to know how not getting to go to school was affecting my children. He genuinely cared about my kids but also all children.”
Trebek will certainly be sorely missed, but here’s hoping that Richards can carry on the legacy he built and fill his shoes behind the podium.
Mayim Bialik will also take on ‘Jeopardy!’ hosting duties
Jeopardy! won’t only be adding Richards as host, but also bringing another familiar face on as host as well. Mayim Bialik from The Big Bang Theory had also guest-hosted a few episodes, and she will now be the host for prime-time episodes and spinoff series.
Richards will be the primary host and also remain as executive producer as well. There have been a few whispers that it seems like the boss picked himself for a prestigious job, but Sony was quick to assure everybody that wasn’t the case. According to CNN Business, the production company issued a statement saying, “We knew early on that we wanted to divide the hosting responsibilities, and it became very clear that Mike and Mayim were the undeniable choices. They were both at the top of our research and analysis.”
With the new season airing in September and the National College Championship coming up, fans can look forward to seeing the new hosts try to fill Trebek’s very big shoes. From what we saw of these two in their guest host runs though, they just may be able to do it.
