As it turns out, Aaron Rodgers is secretly a two-way star. A star on the field and a star on the screen. Don’t believe us? Just ask Mike Richards — an esteemed TV producer with over a decade of experience and he is also the guy who got fired from Jeopardy after hosting just one episode. For context, Richards was brought in 2020 as a replacement for long-time producer, Harry Friedman. Less than two years later, when the beloved host of the show, Alex Trebek, unfortunately passed away after a years-long battle with pancreatic cancer, Richards was given the role. And that’s when you-know-what hit the fan.
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When Mike Richards was given the role, only nine months had passed till Trebek’s passing. Everyone was in mourning — the fans, the show — the entire country, Richards stressed during his interview with People almost three years after the incident. But when the rookie took over the helm, fans were enraged, and it took mere hours before they managed to find dirt on him — his years-old hateful comments, to be exact, eventually getting him relieved of his duties.
A few days ago, Richards finally revealed what actually happened behind the scenes. As it turns out, Trebek was coming to the show even when undergoing treatments. However, the management decided to look into a few guest hosts, who would fill in for the host if he got too sick. Trebek then decided to retire from the game to spend his final years with his family.
Following his untimely demise, the show started looking for a permanent replacement, and that’s where Aaron Rodgers comes in. Among other prospects, the four-time MVP was apparently the “most prepared,” Richards said. He also really wanted the gig, as he was a big fan of the show. And boy, did he prepare.
“Aaron Rodgers was definitely the most prepared,” Richard told People. “I was blown away by that, the intensity in which he prepped, and he was so lovely to everyone on staff. But ultimately I worried about his other job that he does on a pretty high level. I was like, ‘How are you going to work this out with football scheduling?’ He said, ‘You’ll figure it out!’“
The Jets‘ QB would go on to appear on the show as a guest from April 5 to 16, according to the Bleacher Report. But, as we already know, he couldn’t land the full-time role. Then who did?
Ken Jennings Has Been Killing it As a Jeopardy Host
Following Richard’s departure from the show, Mayim Bialik, who played Amy in the hit TV series, ‘The Big Bang Theory’, took over the beloved show as a host. However, as per the Ringer, her performance didn’t resonate with many, and her co-host, Ken Jennings, soon became the darling of the crowd.
In December last year, Jennings secured the permanent main host tag, and rightfully so. In the same year, he was also nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Game Show. As per Jeopardy.com, Jennings became the first-ever host of the “Jeopardy! Masters” tournament in primetime on ABC. He has also etched his name as an author and penned down about 14 books as of now, including one critically acclaimed New York Best Seller.
