Mike Richards Staying On 'Jeopardy' As Executive Producer After Stepping Down As Host: Report

Mike Richards remains part of "Jeopardy!" even after stepping down as host of the show, a report says.

Richards announced last week that he was resigning as host of "Jeopardy!" after receiving intense backlash over inappropriate comments he made on a podcast he hosted years ago. However, the 46-year-old will continue to serve as executive producer of the game show and will take sensitivity training, Entertainment Tonight reported.

Sony's head TV exec, Ravi Ahuja, reportedly informed "Jeopardy!" staffers Monday that the network supports Richards staying on "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune" despite the negative press from his controversies. They also praised Richards for his willingness to step down as host shortly after he was announced as the successor to the late Alex Trebek, who was at the helm for nearly four decades before his death last year, The New York Times reported.

Richards has agreed to undergo sensitivity training, the report said. A veteran Sony legal affairs executive, who was not named, has reportedly been given the task of overseeing his responsibilities behind the scenes.

Prior to his exit as host of the show, Richards apologized for the offensive comments he made about women, Jewish people and people with mental disabilities when he hosted "The Randumb Show" podcast from 2013 to 2014. The questionable remarks were unearthed by The Ringer.

"It is humbling to confront a terribly embarrassing moment of misjudgment, thoughtlessness, and insensitivity from nearly a decade ago," Richards said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. "Looking back now, there is no excuse, of course, for the comments I made on this podcast and I am deeply sorry."

However, "frustrations erupted in an emotional meeting on Thursday, where crew members told Mr. Richards his past behavior had imperiled the show's reputation," two unnamed sources told The New York Times last week. The following day, Richards announced his resignation 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 staff that was obtained by Entertainment Weekly. "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."

Richards will still appear in the first week of "Jeopardy!" Season 38 as he taped a week's worth of episodes before his exit. He served as host for only one day of production before his resignation, EW reported. The episodes he filmed will air as planned when the new season premieres on Sept. 13.