Jeopardy! executive producer Mike Richards, filling in on hosting duties, paid tribute to the late Alex Trebek last night, saying that “working with Alex was even better than you could have imagined.”
“He was everything you could hope for and more,” said Richards, currently on Day 3 of a two-week temporary hosting gig. “He was an idol of mine, and I will work every day to try to live up to the example he set.”
Watch the tribute below.
Though Richards is certainly the least recognizable of the guest hosts lined up – he follows Ken Jennings, and will be succeeded by CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Today’s Savannah Guthrie and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers – early viewer response on Twitter has been overwhelmingly favorable.
“10 min in & I feel Mike Richards has not only hosted a game show as a previous career but was also a stand in for Jon Hamm in the early seasons of Mad Men,” tweeted one fan. “I like Ken Jennings but I’m also very ok with Mike becoming the new host if he doesn’t want to be the EP anymore.”
Richards has indeed hosted both game and reality shows before, including Beauty and the Geek, The Pyramid and Divided, among others.
Here’s his tribute to Trebek:
Guest host Mike Richards opens today’s show with a special thanks to the staff and crew of Jeopardy!, continuing to honor Alex’s legacy. 👏 pic.twitter.com/N0DvOOpBaX
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) February 24, 2021
