Sony names Mayim Bialik, Mike Richards as new Jeopardy! hosts

By Lucas Casaletto

Sony has officially named a permanent host as a replacement to Canadian TV legend Alex Trebek, announcing that longtime executive producer Mike Richards and Mayim Bialik will take over.

Richards will kick off Season 38 as the full-time host of Jeopardy! while Bialik will host Jeopardy!’s primetime and spinoff series, including the upcoming all-new Jeopardy! National College Championship set to air next year.

“I am deeply honoured to have the opportunity to host the syndicated version of Jeopardy!,” said Richards in a press release.

“Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined being chosen to step into a role of this magnitude. I am incredibly humbled to step behind the lectern and will work tirelessly to make sure our brilliant contestants shine in each and every episode. Alex believed the game itself and the contestants are the most important aspects of the show. I was fortunate to witness his professionalism, intensity and kindness up close and that will serve as the ultimate blueprint as we continue to produce the show we love.”

“I am thrilled that Mayim is joining the Jeopardy! team. Her academic track record and enthusiasm for the game made her a terrific guest host. It will be a privilege to produce the primetime series with her as host,” Richards concluded.

Bialik, known for her lead role as neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory, says she “couldn’t be more thrilled to join the Jeopardy! family.”

“What started out with my 15-year-old repeating a rumor from Instagram that I should guest host the show has turned into one of the most exciting and surreal opportunities of my life!” Bialik said as part of the news release.

“I’m so grateful and excited to continue to work with Mike Richards, and I’m just over the moon to join forces with him and Sony. After all the conversations we’ve had about this partnership, I am just so ready to get started!”

For her work on The Big Bang Theory, Bialik was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She won the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2015 and 2017.

A series of guest hosts have each taken a turn at the Jeopardy! lectern this past season, including journalist Katie Couric, actor LeVar Burton, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and Bialik among many others.

Jeopardy! will begin production in mid-August, with new episodes launching on September 13, 2021.

Trebek died at his home on November 8, 2020, at the age of 80 after 20 months of fighting pancreatic cancer.

Trebek hosted Jeopardy! for 37 seasons from its revival in 1984 until his death in 2020.

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