Mayim Bialik To Step In As Interim Host Of 'Jeopardy!'

CULVER CITY, CA — Mayim Bialik will fill in as interim host of "Jeopardy!" following weeks of controversy over who will step into the new role following the death of iconic host Alex Trebek, People reports.

"Happy to be of service to my Jeopardy! family. There's no place I'd rather be!" Bialik tweeted Monday.

The "Big Bang Theory" actress and neuroscientist is scheduled to film 15 episodes as host of the game show for the next three weeks. Additional guest hosts will also join the show to help kick off the 38th season starting Sept. 13.

Last week, executive producer Mike Richards announced he would be stepping down immediately in the host role, hitting pause on the game show's production. Just nine days after beginning in the position, a series of inappropriate comments he made on podcasts several years ago came to light.

Sony Pictures announced last month that Richards was named the new permanent host. Questions brewed over how much control he had over the show behind the scenes and when he was named new permanent host, according to a report from the Ringer. Some fans believed other potential hosts, including LeVar Burton and Ken Jennings, were not treated fairly. Some cited Burton's episodes aired during the Olympics and he had a short time to film multiple episodes compared to other guest hosts.

Richards' past comments were made during "The Randumb Show," a podcast he hosted from 2013 to 2014.

"It pains me that these past incidents and comments have cast such a shadow on Jeopardy! as we look to start a new chapter," Richards wrote.

"As I mentioned last week, I was deeply honored to be asked to host the syndicated show and was thrilled by the opportunity to expand my role. However, 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 was also named in a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit — some don't think Bialik should host the long-running show.

Bialik has had a history of questioning vaccines and during a pandemic and public health crisis, critics question if she is a good choice for host, according to Mother Jones. She's now said that her children are vaccinated, but others argue she also has a history of blaming victims of Harvey Weinstein, Daily Beast reports.

She wrote the following in New York Times op-ed:

“I still make choices every day as a 41-year-old actress that I think of as self-protecting and wise. I have decided that my sexual self is best reserved for private situations with those I am most intimate with. I dress modestly. I don’t act flirtatiously with men as a policy.”

In 2014, Bialik described how she donated money to the Israeli Defense Forces for bulletproof vests because of "a need to do something." And in 2021, Human Rights Watch issued a report announcing that Israel and the IDF's treatment of Palestinians “amount to the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution.”

Editor's Note: This story was updated Tuesday at 9:19 a.m. with a tweet comment from Bialik.

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