The frenzy surrounding the selection of Mike Richards as Jeopardy!’s new host was a lot, to say the least. But things heated up over the last week or so when past sexist and off-color comments from Richards were discovered on his Twitter and a defunct podcast he hosted a few years. After apologizing for his offensive comments, the Jeopardy executive producer saw the writing on the wall and decided to step down from hosting the iconic game show. Of course, once the news of Richards stepping down broke, many celebrities, including Ryan Reynolds and Jeopardy! hopeful LeVar Burton, took to social to share their thoughts.
After the news about Mike Richards hit social media, guest host LeVar Burton was arguably the celeb fans wanted to hear from the most. Instead of issuing any critiques of Richards like others, Burton decided to take the high road. And the Reading Rainbow host did so by relaying a simple message on his Twitter:
While LeVar Burton gave a simple response, others decided to support the Star Trek alum while telling their own story about being passed over for career opportunities. This was the case for Free Guy star Ryan Reynolds. The actor illustrated his career hurdle by taking to his Twitter and speaking on his battle to become Deadpool:
Upon seeing Ryan Reynolds, LeVar Burton responded with a simple reply filled with prayer hands and a purple heart. Of course, Reynolds was one of Burton’s biggest supporters before Mike Richards was hired, even going as far as to make a commercial featuring the education and literacy advocate.
Another LeVar Burton supporter – Community’s Yvette Nicole Brown – was blunt in her response to Mike Richards stepping down. She seemed to indicate that Burton did not get fair treatment while vying for the position. Brown stated on Twitter:
In addition to Yvette Nicole Brown’s opinionated take on Mike Richards, renowned author and writer Roxane Gay stated in a Twitter thread that LeVar Burton deserved a fair shot and also lambasted Mike Richards for taking the job.
As Roxane Gay reprimanded Mike Richards, others decided to view Richards’ short Jeopardy! host stint as a victory. Sports commentator Keith Olbermann, for example, offered a concise but hot take on Twitter:
Oscar-winning director and writer Matthew A. Cherry followed the same sentiment on his Twitter. The filmmaker specifically called out Richards' privilege, noting his pre-existing connection to Jeopardy!:
Needless to say, many didn't hold back when sharing their thoughts about Mike Richards giving up the hosting job. A few people even found some humor in Richards’ downfall. Of course, Jeopardy champion James Holzhauer couldn’t help but pitch a scenario for Jeopardy!’s next hosting selection process. The Jeopardy alum said on Twitter:
You can always rely on James Holzhauer to give a hilarious take during Jeopardy!’s hunt for a host. While it's hard not to take in all of these takes, the real (and obvious) question now is… who will be the permanent Jeopardy! host now? Mayim Bialik is merely the host for Jeopardy! specials and spinoffs, so she likely won't take on both duties. As Mike Richards returns to his executive producer position on the show, only time will tell who the series taps to fill Alex Trebek's shoes.
