Mike Richards Biography
Mike Richards is a former television producer, game show host, and television personality from the United States. From 2009 to 2019, he was the executive producer of the American television game shows Let’s Make a Deal and The Price Is Right, and from 2020 to 2021, he was the executive producer of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune.
How old is Mike Richards? – Age
He is 47 years old as of 5 July 2022. He was born in 1975 in Burbank, California, United States.
Mike Richards Education
He attended Pepperdine University.
Mike Richards’s Wife- Children
Stephanie Richards is Richards’ wife. He is the father of two sons.
Mike Richards Career
Richards was the executive producer of The Price Is Right and Let’s Make a Deal for a decade, until the end of the 2018-19 season. He was also a contender for The Price Is Right host before Drew Carey was chosen. Richards was described as “exclusionary and dismissive of longtime show employees” in interviews for those two shows; he fired announcer Rich Fields and held on-air auditions, similar to the ones he later used on Jeopardy!, to hire George Gray as Fields’ replacement, while also dismissing longtime producer (and Bob Barker’s right-hand man) Roger Dobkowitz.
Deal was frequently overlooked by Richards, who was frequently absent from day-to-day operations. A post-producer was fired after making a sarcastic introduction that drew attention to Richards’ absences. Richards hosted the GSN revival of The Pyramid in 2012 and the network’s Divided in 2017-18.
Richards took over as executive producer of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! for the 2020-21 season, succeeding Harry Friedman. Richards appeared at the start of the November 9 episode to pay tribute to Alex Trebek, who died on November 8, 2020. Richards later appeared as a guest host on the show for two weeks, with his first episode airing on February 22, 2021. On August 4, it was reported that Richards had entered “advanced negotiations” to become the permanent host, but that other candidates remained in the running. Following that announcement, a lawsuit filed against Richards and others during his tenure as The Price Is Right’s executive producer resurfaced, causing controversy.
On August 11, it was announced that Richards would succeed Trebek as host of the daily show, with future prime-time specials and spinoffs hosted by Jeopardy! guest host Mayim Bialik. However, on August 20, it was announced that Richards would resign after it was revealed that he had made offensive comments in the past. The five episodes Richards shot the day before, on the first day of production for the new season, aired in September.
Despite rumors that Richards would step down as executive producer of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, he has not. After the scandal, he kept his role on both shows with the full support of Sony Pictures and its television division head, Ravi Ahuja. However, a week and a half after resigning as permanent host, Richards was fired as executive producer of both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune on August 31, 2021.
Following Richards’ departure, Michael Davies from Embassy Row served as interim executive producer for Jeopardy!, and on April 14, 2022, it was announced that he would be taking the role full-time. Bellamie Blackstone was announced as the new executive producer of Wheel of Fortune on March 23, 2022. Bialik and Ken Jennings were eventually chosen as co-hosts for the syndicated version of Jeopardy!, which will premiere on July 27, 2022.
Mike Richards Sexual Harassment
In 2010, Richards was the target of a wrongful termination lawsuit. Brandi Cochran, a model on The Price Is Right, claimed that CBS and FremantleMedia fired her after she became pregnant with twins. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Richards made a disparaging comment about her pregnancy at a 2008 party, and she was fired from the show because Richards thought she “would not take us to great.” Lanisha Cole sued Richards and fellow producer Adam Sandler (not to be confused with actor and comedian Adam Sandler) in 2011 for wrongful termination and berating her in front of her peers.
Mike Richards Films and TV Shows
♦ 2021 – GMA3: What You Need To Know
♦ 2020-2021 – Jeopardy!
♦ 2020-2021 – Entertainment Tonight
♦ 2020-2021 – Today
♦ 2018 – The 45th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Red Carpet
♦ 2018 – The 45th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards
♦ 2018 – Cover Story
♦ 2018 – Unsung Hollywood
♦ 2017 – WGN Morning News
♦ 2017 – The Talk
♦ 2017 – Hollywood Today Live
♦ 2017 – Divided
♦ 2017 – Home & Family
♦ 2016 – The 43rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards
♦ 2013 – The 40th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards
♦ 2012 – The Pyramid
♦ 2009-2013 – The Bold and the Beautiful
♦ 2008 – High School Reunion
♦ 2006-2008 – Beauty and the Geek
♦ 2006-2008 – Dallies