'Jeopardy': Mike Richards Taped A Week's Worth Of Episodes Before Exit – Report

Mike Richards will still appear in the upcoming season of "Jeopardy" despite his exit, a report says.

Richards officially stepped down as the host of "Jeopardy" Friday after apologizing for recently unearthed offensive and sexist remarks he made on a podcast. However, prior to the announcement, the "Jeopardy" executive producer had already filmed a week's worth of episodes as host, Entertainment Weekly reported.

Despite his departure from the hosting job, the episodes Richards filmed will air as planned starting Sept. 13, which serves as the first week of Season 38. He served as host for only one day of production before he left the role, the outlet noted.

Two unnamed sources told The New York Times in a story published Friday that "frustrations erupted in an emotional meeting on Thursday, where crew members told Mr. Richards his past behavior had imperiled the show's reputation."

The following day, Richards announced his exit from the show. "It pains me that these past incidents and comments have cast such a shadow on 'Jeopardy' as we look to start a new chapter," he wrote in a memo to the staff obtained by EW.

He continued, "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."

Due to Richards' exit, "Jeopardy" will once again have a rotating lineup of guest hosts as Sony searches for a new permanent host. It is currently unclear who will serve as hosts for the rest of the episodes in the new season.

A number of "Jeopardy" fans, including celebrities, have been rooting for actor LeVar Burton to get the hosting gig, which was held by Alex Trebek for 37 years before he died in November 2020 due to pancreatic cancer.

Ryan Reynolds also showed support for Burton's Twitter campaign for the job with a brief anecdote about how he landed his role in "Deadpool."

"Pretty consistently from 2013 to 2015, Deadpool would explode on Twitter with fans wanting me to play him. It was awkward, because I agreed with them. But the studio didn’t see it," he tweeted. "Ultimately, the fans won, and the rest is glorious history. I’m forever grateful. Hi @levarburton."

New York Times bestselling author Christopher Golden tweeted, "We want LeVar Burton to host 'Jeopardy' for the same reason we venerate Bob Ross and Mr. Rogers, and the same reason the show 'Ted Lasso' is so popular. Our culture yearns for, and desperately needs, men who are kind and gentle, and who will teach that by example."