Jeopardy! will have two hosts for the first time in the storied game show’s history.
Sony Pictures Television is set to announce that Jeopardy! executive producer Mike Richards will host the long-running daily syndicated program and actress Mayim Bialik will host primetime and spin-off specials of the famed quiz show, The Daily Beast has learned.
The current version of the show, which was hosted by the late Alex Trebek for 36 years, has featured a series of guest-hosts following Trebek’s death last year as executives grappled with who was best to fill the iconic role.
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Richards, who had been the frontrunner for a hosting gig, will start Season 38 as host of the daily syndication while Bialik, best known for her starring role in CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, will host new spin-off series—the first of which will be the Jeopardy! National College Championship on ABC.
A Sony Pictures Television spokesperson declined to comment.
There was heated competition to succeed Trebek, with a slew of guest-hosts over the last several months—including stars like Katie Couric, LeVar Burton, Aaron Rodgers, Anderson Cooper, George Stephanopoulos, and Robin Roberts.
Earlier this week, Richards came under fire for his previous role at The Price Is Right, where multiple models accused producers of discrimination and harassment during his tenure as the game show’s executive producer.
“These were allegations made in employment disputes against the show,” he responded in a memo sent to Jeopardy! staff and reviewed by The Daily Beast. “I want you all to know that the way in which my comments and actions have been characterized in these complaints does not reflect the reality of who I am or how we worked together on The Price Is Right.”
UPDATE: On Wednesday afternoon, Sony officially announced the co-billing. “Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined being chosen to step into a role of this magnitude,” Richards said in a press release. Bialik separately tweeted: “Been waiting a long time to tell you all. Really really honored and astounded and excited for this - it’s beyond anything I ever imagined could happen.”
