Who is...Today’s Guest Host?

[alphacat]

So glad to hear that they have reversed course with regard to Mike. My suggestions to those in the hiring process:

Option 1 - hire Buzzy (or Ken) for this coming year and then decide whether to make this permanent or start the process again next year. PRO: people liked his hosting, they were considering him anyway and we can move past this whole process; CON: not sure there is one.

Option 2 - have a limited number of guest hosts who are serious candidates go through an audition process that is the same for everyone and that is clearly intended to end in signing a permanent host. PRO: gets away from the confusion of this past process, puts everyone on a level playing field, and ends with a result; CON: many are sick of this process and this won't help.

I don't particularly mind having people "audition" but if they are going to do that they need to be clear about how they will be choosing and how the auditions factor in. If I were part of the hiring process, the auditions would be helpful - e.g., I expected Levar Burton to be better than he was. 

Serious candidates would be able to leave their current obligations and commit to Jeopardy! full-time and would really be interested in taking the job vs. bucket list/tribute to Alex. Give them two weeks - really two days of shooting - and find a time where they will have equal footing on the schedule, so no holidays or special events. In other words, try to have as level a playing field as possible and see how they do. TPTB need to focus this list on candidates who would be able to bring a balance between enthusiasm and respect for the show, ability to read the questions clearly and move the game along, and ability to engage the contestants. 

Edited August 20, 2021 by alphacat

[opus]

So my dream of Joe Buck still lives?

(Don’t worry, he’s not quitting his day job of hating [insert name of your favorite team here])

[Samsnee]

If you don’t offer it to Mayim since she’s the other host seems like she was just a consolation prize from the beginning.

But it should have been, and always will be, Ken Jennings.

[Carey]

1 minute ago, opus said:

So my dream of Joe Buck still lives?

(Don’t worry, he’s not quitting his day job of hating [insert name of your favorite team here])

On a related note, while the reigning NFL MVP returned to Green Bay, no word on whether Aaron Rodgers showed up to practice today

[catrice2]

This is too much. I just want to enjoy the show, which seems to be a pipe dream now.  No matter who they choose someone is going to have an issue. They should have just decided and announced it, period without having these "guest" hosts.  Poor planning. They knew  Alex was sick for months, so there should have already been a host in waiting as awful as that sounds. 

I have not bothered to read all the "evidence" of how terrible a person he is, but you know, these days I am finding that a LOT  of people are doing or have done something that I have an issue with.   Where does it end?   I just want the "process' to be over. 

As for Levar, I hope he graciously declines if any offer is put forth. Do I think he would have gotten better? Absolutely, but everyone would have if given the time to do so.  Do I think he will ever be accepted in this role now?  No way.  Now that everyone is mad about the attention he has gotten.  He should have known if they did not reach out to him after he'd made it clear he was interested when Alex was alive that he was not on their radar. 

Mayim is fine, most of them were fine. The longer they dither with this it looks bad for the show. 

On another note, I am sick of people having these crazy things on Twitter, Podcast, whatever and the faux apologies.   Own it, and more important if indeed it no longer reflects who you are...DELETE it. 

 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Samsnee said:

If you don’t offer it to Mayim since she’s the other host seems like she was just a consolation prize from the beginning.

But it should have been, and always will be, Ken Jennings.

One of the articles I linked upthread claimed that Mayim was their first choice but that she was not available for the full time gig.

[dcalley]

I'm not at all surprised that Mike Richards is still the executive producer. I hate it, but it was "maddeningly predictable" as Linda Holmes said (linked in the media thread).

[ProudMary]

Reading that exceptional feature from The Ringer made me sick. Richards has evidently lived a career's worth of smarmy. While it's possible that other candidates may have a skeleton in their closets, this guy has a family of them hanging in his. One that truly disgusted me was that in 2020 he took a PPP loan of $128K for a side-hustle consulting firm he'd established. Needless to say, I'm absolutely delighted that he has "stepped down." 

I'm not thrilled that we'll be going through yet another round of guest hosts. I hope that this time Sony will truly be auditioning only those who meet all the criteria they require of a permanent host. Transparency is your friend Sony, especially after the BS process your loyal audience has been put through over these many months.

Going back to the Ringer piece: It sure seems as if near the end of his life, Alex seemed to be handing the keys over to Ken Jennings, regardless of any other potential hosts he may have mentioned earlier. That does mean something in my opinion. I thought Ken did a very good job; my only issue is the timbre of his voice, which I'm sure I could get used to. I highly doubt that there would be many Jeopardy! fans who would boycott a Ken Jennings hosted version of our favorite show.

Now, despite what I just said, "Buzzy, Buzzy, Buzzy!" 

[Irlandesa]

On 8/19/2021 at 6:26 PM, shoregirl said:

 

Did they not do a background check or did they just not care?

They probably didn't dig deep into his podcasting.  They probably should have but I just don't think execs are sophisticated enough to do it.  If it was easy to find, it would have come out sooner.  It was public but I'm guessing people waited until he was selected to listen to all the recorded hours.

But the lawsuits?  They probably knew about those but didn't care.  He probably gave them some BS excuse that they bought because that's the way things go sometimes.  We meet someone. We like them.  We become more susceptible to their version of events.  And since they had already selected him as EP, the people selecting him as host probably don't want to question their own judgment.

The crazy thing about this is that the podcast came out after the lawsuits.  So you're part of a show that was sued twice for harassment and yet you never even consider that making fun of your employees, and other marginalized groups isn't a great idea as an EP?

10 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Hah! emails may have been a straw on the camel's back, but kudos go to Claire McNear's research and journalistic prose: to https://www.theringer.com/tv/2021/8/18/22631299/mike-richards-jeopardy-host-search-process-past-comments

The cynic in me wouldn't be shocked if this is what ultimately did him in. Not the lawsuits.  Not the way he talked about people.  But the fact that he basically made his bosses look like fools.  He manipulated his way into guest hosting.  He was in charge of who filmed when.  He was in charge of editing.  He was likely in charge of who was selected (i.e. a lot of people with other jobs.)  It was brilliant and I can't wait for the movie about it but when you do this, you have to keep letting your bosses think your selection was their idea. Clair's reporting exposed that myth.

10 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

Could they not just pick someone else already?  All I can think of is that they have to start taping for the new season and it will take time to get contracts done.

Since Mike was in charge of the process, they really can't. Too much is known about the manipulation. I think they have to start over again. (Although watch them decide to pick someone in a week.)  They need someone else in charge of the process--someone who really will not host.  But I do think they get more serious about it.  Give everyone a month.  Tell people up front whether or not they're auditioning or whether they're there as a lark. 

8 hours ago, Samsnee said:

But it should have been, and always will be, Ken Jennings.

I liked a few of the people I saw, including Ken.  I will say, though, that I don't agree with the argument that Ken or maybe even Buzzy would detract from the contestants.  They're really well known as super champs now because that's what their claim to fame is.  If any of them were to become hosts, and that's all they did, that would be their new claim to fame.  Eventually, they'd fade into the woodwork and just be the Jeopardy! host and people would focus on the contestants. 

I think one of the reasons it might never be Mayim is I think she'd have to give up acting.  As long as she's an actress, that's what she'll be known for as the Jeopardy! host.

Edited August 21, 2021 by Irlandesa

[Prevailing Wind]

Bring back Harry Friedman to run the replacement process, leaving Richards to the daily showrunner duties and out of the selection process.  I doubt Harry would consider that un-retiring in order to save his legacy show.

Someone mentioned we need a "public intellectual" - too bad Dick Cavett is too old for the gig. 

I accidentally saw part of one of those panel talk shows this AM (which is where I heard the news) and the white guy was incensed that "the LeVar Burton fans" were so angry, they pressured Sony to ditch Richards and that's gonna happen to anyone who ISN'T Burton. And he was also pissed that anything in anyone's past is fair game to rake them over the coals with....  ANOTHER tone-deaf dude with a television platform he does not deserve.

[possibilities]

Keeping him as EP demonstrates that they don't really care, that what he did is not misconduct according to his bosses, but they bowed to public pressure because they saw it might affect the ratings. They've decided that people who complained are going to forget about it once he's not in front of the camera, not that his behavior is actually objectionable to TPTB themselves. That was always the case, wasn't it? They knew about most of it before, so really all that's changed is public pressure.

[dcalley]

2 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

It was brilliant and I can't wait for the movie about it

I can't help but think of The Late Shift here (trailer: https://youtu.be/IJ8bo5lt6G8).

Jay Leno famously hid in a closet to eavesdrop on NBC execs talking about who would replace Johnny Carson, him or Dave Letterman. Per The Ringer, Mike Richards's first TV job was as an intern for The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.

 

[Prevailing Wind]

5 minutes ago, dcalley said:

I can't help but think of The Late Shift here (trailer: https://youtu.be/IJ8bo5lt6G8).

Jay Leno famously hid in a closet to eavesdrop on NBC execs talking about who would replace Johnny Carson, him or Dave Letterman. Per The Ringer, Mike Richards's first TV job was as an intern for The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.

 

When it first came out that Richards was in charge of selecting the stuff for the Focus Groups, I thought of how Helen Kushnick maneuvered NBC into firing Johnny Carson in favor of her client, Leno.

[proserpina65]

On 8/18/2021 at 10:54 PM, Bulldog said:

I'm a fan of the show, but I don't really have a horse in this race.  I thought Richards did a perfectly fine job as a guest host and I had no objection to him being named as the permanent replacement.  Even when Alex was alive, I tuned in for the questions and the contestants.  That said, I do wonder what would happen if every one of the guest hosts underwent the scrutiny that Richards has been subjected to.  I feel fairly certain that something could be found in the past of every single one of them that the internet mob would find objectionable.  Richards might be the devil incarnate for all I know, but the lengths that some are going to in order to find ways to discredit him are truly amazing to watch. 

This is stuff that has been out there, some of it for years.  Had Sony done a proper vetting, it would've turned up right away and he never would've been considered.  No one has had to go to any particularly extreme lengths to discredit Richards; he's done it all himself.

 

[ProudMary]

Well done!

 

[dcalley]

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

Had Sony done a proper vetting, it would've turned up right away and he never would've been considered. 

I'm going to be a cynic and assume there is an old boys' club at Sony that would not have cared.

edited to add: He is still the executive producer, after all.

Edited August 20, 2021 by dcalley

[Blakeston]

50 minutes ago, dcalley said:

Per The Ringer, Mike Richards's first TV job was as an intern for The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.

Oh my god, of course that was where he got his start!

[cambridgeguy]

2 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

When it first came out that Richards was in charge of selecting the stuff for the Focus Groups, I thought of how Helen Kushnick maneuvered NBC into firing Johnny Carson in favor of her client, Leno.

And somehow this is even worse - it's not Leno was the guy in charge of finding Carson's replacement.  I don't see how Richards sticking around is sustainable.  Only a saint would be able to keep themselves from being consumed by bitterness and acting out if they had to go and watch someone else do their dream job.  And if Richards was a saint then he wouldn't be in this position.

[Josiemae]

I find the cancelation of Richard's absolutely freaking hilarious after the way he priggishly lectured us at the end of every episode he hosted to "be kind". 

Good riddance. 

 

[eelpout]

4 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

I didn’t really hate any of the guest hosts (except Joe Buck; watched half of Monday’s then skipped ahead to Friday’s.

I expected to dislike Joe Buck too (because it seems like more than half the planet does), but I think he's turned out to be one of the best and most natural in the role.

4 hours ago, 853fisher said:

Since they are going to do guest hosts again, hopefully with clearer communication to the public about their intentions, I would be interested in seeing Laura Coates or Ben Mankiewicz, both of whom Alex named worthy of consideration at one time or another. 

I like Coates (she's a Minnesotan after all! 😉), but if you've ever listened to her SiriusXM shows, I'd be worried that she'd go on a bit (and then go on again); concluding the end of a thought for her is a process 😃. Though the format would likely force her to keep it succinct.

Agree about Ben Mankiewicz, he deserves a try out if he's available.

 PS. I do wonder if the irate LeVar Burton fans actually watched the entire time he was on?

 

[853fisher]

I understand that it's probably not realistic to expect the show's team to show all their cards about who may or may not be sincerely under consideration among the next batch of guest hosts.  But I think it would be wise to request / encourage some comment from each one, if not in the two or three sentence quote included in the press release when they're announced, than in a contemporaneous social media post or something.  I believe it's not uncommon to manage things like that by mutual agreement.

Couric, for instance, said in an interview that she wasn't interested in having the job full-time but wanted to challenge herself and pay tribute to her friend Alex.  I doubt most people read that interview.  Just have them all say something like that in one place or the other.  If anybody who is really angling for the job doesn't want to say so explicitly, fine, but have everyone who isn't make it clear.  I think that's a reasonable way to keep fans honestly informed without disclosing trade secrets etc.

RE the podcast, one thing I am not clear on after reading the "Ringer" article (and I know Claire McNear is never going to pay for a drink at any establishment where I am present) is for what purpose the "RanDumb" (what a dick!) podcast was produced.  It seems it was done on "Price is Right" premises, also with folks involved with the show like the announcer or special guests on the broadcast.

But it was really his personal project, right, not ever publicized by the show etc?  Strange how due diligence missed something available on the podcast site under the same username as his Twitter etc.  That's my mother's first trick for Googling anybody.  Maybe Sony needs to add her to their committee.

[HyeChaps]

I can't decide which is worse--the fact that he's a vulgar pig or that he was in charge of the succession process.

[853fisher]

Lord give me strength.  I wish I had a Twitter account (LOL I most certainly do not) so I could ask Ryan whether he caught a single one of those episodes.

[Trey]

Since any host we get won't be perfect and also won't be liked by everyone, my son has suggested that they do a computer generated host.  At least he (or she)  it wouldn't have any baggage.

That got me thinking, and I came up with a hologram of Alex Trebek as host.

 

Edited August 21, 2021 by Trey

[Prevailing Wind]

11 minutes ago, 853fisher said:

for what purpose the "RanDumb" (what a dick!) podcast was produced.

Earlier, someone confused Richards' name and called him Mike Edwards.  I came really close to saying, "He's not an Ed, he's a DICK."  And that was before the podcast crap hit the fan.

In one of the articles, it mentioned that as EP, he's the judge...so THAT explains the randomness of the judging. Someone who has no interest in trivia is judging which responses are correct.  If a contestant comes on showing cleavage (BOOBIES!), will the judging be more lenient?  He's tainted the entire concept. Merv is rolling over in his grave.

[853fisher]

I'm pressing the "shut the hell up!" button on myself after this, but...I was thinking (I know, you could probably smell the burning from there!) and I am utterly shocked that one of the minds behind that self-described "ultimate social experiment" "Beauty and the Geek" turned out to be a crass jackass without unselfish interest in a trivia game.  S H O C K E D, I tell you!  Please, Sony, someone a bit less shallow next time.

Edited August 20, 2021 by 853fisher

[Prevailing Wind]

I just did another "contact" telling them it's not good enough. Retaining BOOBIE man as EP is still unacceptable. Ix-nay on the ick-Day.

[Bastet]

42 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

If a contestant comes on showing cleavage (BOOBIES!), will the judging be more lenient? 

Only if the boobies are the only fat cell repositories on her body; it is clear he thinks overweight people, especially women, are unworthy.

1 hour ago, Josiemae said:

I find the cancelation of Richard's absolutely freaking hilarious after the way he priggishly lectured us at the end of every episode he hosted to "be kind". 

That's the first thing I thought of when I heard his response to his former assistant talking about giving money - a frakkin' dollar, mind you - to someone experiencing homelessness while she (the former assistant) was unemployed, because it felt good to do a little something to help someone struggling even more than she was.  Mr. "We're trying to build a kinder, gentler society, and if we all pitch in just a little bit, we’re going to get there" should have loved that.  Instead?  "That's the sound of America going down the drain."

[catrice2]

I am continually amazed at people who hold those in entertainment (known for people pretending to be something they are not) to a higher standard than those who are making actual decisions about  our lives.  Nothing any of these people do would surprise me.  I can admire their craft and artistry without admiring them as a person. We all need to learn to make the separation. 

Do I think Mike Richards and whomever else went about this the wrong way? Absolutely.  But I think we all need to be really careful about living in a glass house devoting so much energy to getting worked up to people who don't affect our lives. 

Edited August 21, 2021 by catrice2

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, catrice2 said:

Do I think Mike Richards and whomever else went about this the wrong way? Absolutely.  But I think we all need to be really careful about living in a glass house devoting so much energy to getting worked up to people who don't affect our lives. 

It does affect viewers' lives, though. It's a daily half hour habit for a lot of people that gives them joy.  They don't want perfection.  They can forgive.  They just don't want to think about how the guy they're watching tainted the process of finding a host and had absolutely no qualms about talking about employees the way he did as a 40-something executive producer.

 

Edited August 21, 2021 by Irlandesa

[shlbycindyk]

I've decided to no longer watch Jeopardy until they get their stuff figured out.   Several of my friends have also decided to quit watching it because of all the drama.  I didn't care about who was the host except there is NO way I will watch a show with Ken Jennings as a host.  Several years ago he made some tweets that I found personally offensive.  I'm not saying he's a bad man, I just don't like him.

I watch Jeopardy for the entertainment value plus it helps me forget my problems for 30 minutes, 5 nights a week.  Now it's just become a drama filled mess with a lot of finger pointing and nasty remarks about potential guest hosts.   The fun and interest is gone.  If Mike Richards did everything I've heard he's done then he shouldn't be the host.  But surely they've had enough guest hosts by now that they could just pick one of those for the new host.  Why do another round of this?  They're not exactly looking for the next Supreme Court Justice here. I just can't watch it anymore and I think Alex Trebek would be mortified by what's happened to his show. 

[ams1001]

19 hours ago, PBnJay said:

Interesting that Richards has taped one day, making a full week of episodes, then a new host yet to be chosen. That will make HOW many hosts Matt has met, if he makes it through Richards' week. That's a record I hope is never broken!

lol...I just saw a comment on reddit that said "Matt out here collecting hosts like Infinity Stones." 😆

[blueray]

It's interesting how quick things change. I'm still hoping for Ken.  I unfortunately never watched LeVar Burton episodes as it was on the same time as the olympics (different channel) but I often would naturally put on the Olympic's coverage instead. He does seem kind of desperate to get it. And as stupid as it is, having not watched him host (I still see him as Gordi). Which of course made me start day dreaming about the funniest ST character (actor playing them) to host Jeopardy. Probably Worf or Garak lol. 

Anyhow, I hope they pick someone. I wasn't a fan of the random celebrity guest this past season. How hard is it to find someone who fits the values?

 

[catrice2]

13 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

It does affect viewers' lives, though. It's a daily half hour habit for a lot of people that gives them joy.  They don't want perfection.  They can forgive.  They just don't want to think about how the guy they're watching tainted the process of finding a host and had absolutely no qualms about talking about employees the way he did as a 40-something executive producer.

 

Again, if this is what people want to spend energy one, so be it.   I have a right to not understand it, just as they have the right to do it. If a television show is at the top priority of what is affecting our lives, especially right now, then that says a lot. 

I watch, eat, participate in a lot of things thinking about how tainted it is, whether because it has a racist history or a leader that is, sexist, etc.  and is in charge of it or has profited from it or because it is perpetuating racist, sexist, class, or gender stereotypes and bias.  I have found not watching, letting my feelings be known, , etc. to give me personal peace if it bothers me,  but it doesn't have to take up my energy by continually thinking about it or letting it consume me. Also, it is interesting because people are very selective about who they can forgive. 

So I guess what you are saying is ignorance is bliss because if we all start digging into the ethics and beliefs  of the people who produce, create, write, manufacture our food and all our goods then I think we will be very disappointed in a lot of things that "bring us joy."  

For many unearthed reasons Mike Richards should not be host. Now he is not.  I just wonder why people can't take a victory and move on?  That's my point, not about people's "joy' being affected by watching it and thinking what a terrible person he is.  For some people they are now actively waiting to find out who is in contention so that they can go through their history and hold them to a standard, or on a mission to find everything he as done wrong. 

And in general you will find that there are probably millions of people who don't constantly read the news or social media, (especially particular sites) who were unaware of this whole issue and would have continued to watch and have joy.   Not specific to this issue ,but we have to stop believing that what is reflected in the news and social media reflects the views of the majority of people.  It is just a reflection of people who are vocal in those mediums and that is all it is. 

[Clanstarling]

23 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Also hated LeVar as host. Sorry LeVar fans. I feel like the people arguing loudest for him are not actual J! viewers and just like him for nostalgic reasons (I have no nostalgic ties; I was a little too old for RR, not a Star Trek fan, and Roots came out when I was two).

I didn't hate Levar as a host, but I knew he was blowing it. My affection for him notwithstanding, I did find his pursuit a touch unseemly. That being said, as an every day Jeopardy viewer for most of my adult life and an Art Fleming fan from my younger days, I did hope that he'd do well.

22 hours ago, ams1001 said:

LeVar's not the only one who only had one day of taping, though. The others who only did a week of games were still better (IMO). So many people seem to think he deserves it just because he wants it so badly, regardless of his performance. Could he get better? Probably. Have we already seen better options? I would say yes.  

Yes the other two were better - it's not surprising in that their current jobs have already given them the skills and comfort zone in front of a "live" camera. Those are skills that build up with practice, which Levar did not have and most of the hosts (two week and one week) did, in some form or another. Aaron Rodgers didn't, and I didn't really like him as a host, though I think he seems like a quietly funny guy.

That being said, I don't want Levar to be host, I just think he would have done a better job if he'd had the two week gig. I'm Buzzy all the way, with Ken as a second. I think the host having the experience and understanding of being a contestant is a refreshing addition to the game show genre. (yes, I'm channeling Alex 😉)

22 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

If they want to give Levar another week or two as guest host to see if he can settle in a bit more I have no issue with it.  But if he doesn't improve he doesn't deserve the job. 

Agreed.

Edited August 21, 2021 by Clanstarling

[ProudMary]

 

[cambridgeguy]

22 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

I didn't hate Levar as a host, but I knew he was blowing it. My affection for him notwithstanding, I did find his pursuit a touch unseemly. That being said, as an every day Jeopardy viewer for most of my adult life and an Art Fleming fan from my younger days, I did hope that he'd do well.

I do wonder if anyone who's unhappy about how eager LeVar was is also a Richards defender (not the comments, the search process).  It's so unseemly to publicly lobby for the role, but it's OK to rig the search from behind the scenes!

[Trey]

23 minutes ago, cambridgeguy said:

but it's OK to rig the search from behind the scenes!

Nobody thinks that is okay.

[cambridgeguy]

15 minutes ago, Trey said:

Nobody thinks that is okay.

The Sony execs didn't seem to mind...

[Trey]

28 minutes ago, cambridgeguy said:

The Sony execs didn't seem to mind...

Sorry, I forgot them.

[chitowngirl]

Since MR is staying on as EP, do you think he was allowed to save face by saying he’s stepping down rather than Sony announcing that he’s fired?

[Trey]

4 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

Since MR is staying on as EP, do you think he was allowed to save face by saying he’s stepping down rather than Sony announcing that he’s fired?

That's exactly what I thought all along.

And it wouldn't surprise me if he is soon no longer EP.

[junemeatcleaver]

From what's trickling out about the behind the scenes, it sounds like Richards has lost the confidence of the staff.  I can't see him being able to hang on to the EP job if that's true.

Edit:  I don't know why he didn't disclose that podcast.  They might have been able to control the narrative like they tried to do with the TPiR lawsuits.  I guess Mike got too confident.

Edited August 21, 2021 by junemeatcleaver

[Irlandesa]

8 minutes ago, junemeatcleaver said:

Edit:  I don't know why he didn't disclose that podcast.  They might have been able to control the narrative like they tried to do with the TPiR lawsuits.  I guess Mike got too confident.

It's pretty clear he didn't remember ever saying something awful on that podcast or he would have taken it down as soon as he decided he wanted to go after the gig.  He only did that after the reporter reached out for comment about things he said on it which he should have known was already too late.

[nickp1991]

 Harry Friedman had stuck it out one more season and oversaw this transition instead

[shapeshifter]

27 minutes ago, nickp1991 said:

 Harry Friedman had stuck it out one more season and oversaw this transition instead

Or maybe Harry Friedman “saw the handwriting on the wall”?

[ProudMary]

48 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

It's pretty clear he didn't remember ever saying something awful on that podcast or he would have taken it down as soon as he decided he wanted to go after the gig.  He only did that after the reporter reached out for comment about things he said on it which he should have known was already too late.

You're right, but more likely, he didn't believe he said anything awful. Either he was "only joking" or it was "locker room talk," and, in his mind, shouldn't be taken seriously. Really makes me angry.

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

I do wonder if anyone who's unhappy about how eager LeVar was is also a Richards defender (not the comments, the search process).  It's so unseemly to publicly lobby for the role, but it's OK to rig the search from behind the scenes!

I think most of us here, Levar fans or not, are pretty angry about the rigging the search from behind the scenes.

2 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

The Sony execs didn't seem to mind...

They're big media execs, I don't really expect them to care. It's only when their dirty laundry is scoured in social media that they ever seem to give a (fill in your own expletive)

1 minute ago, ProudMary said:

You're right, but more likely, he didn't believe he said anything awful. Either he was "only joking" or it was "locker room talk," and, in his mind, shouldn't be taken seriously. Really makes me angry.

Exactly.  If he didn't think it was bad, or he thought it was "joking" then that is absolutely who he was.

[Egg McMuffin]

I think Sony did the right thing by removing Mike Richards from his post. He didn’t disclose those podcasts to Sony and they are embarrassing to Jeopardy, at best. I’d also remove the executives who botched this so badly. And that’s not just Richards; it’s his managers.

That said, as someone who has worked in media for all of his career, I find Claire McNear’s Ringer article on him to be an affront to journalism. That piece was not designed to be objective; it was designed to destroy someone’s career. Richards did have support from some past colleagues, including Drew Carey. But you’d never know it from reading that story. Other pieces published prior to the podcast revelations also showed bias. This kind of biased journalism is actually destroying journalism, and people’s faith in it. What a crying shame.

I also can’t understand those who find glee in this whole thing.

[shapeshifter]

59 minutes ago, Clanstarling said:

...If he didn't think it was bad, or he thought it was "joking" then that is absolutely who he was.

In the Lifetime movie version of this fiasco, I would expect to see some Chekov's gun-type moment early on when an acquaintance of MR's texts him a link to one of the more offensive YouTube videos. The camera would focus tight on the face of the actor playing MR (David Duchovny is too old, right?) and we would see a panoply of emotions, starting with initial amusement, to worry, through horror (with some flash backs in his mind to even more offensive remarks), which would be followed by the MR actor deleting the message with the link.
The events of the past few days IRL would serve as the fodder for the explosion of the Chekov's social media gun in the fictionalized Lifetime movie's third act.