Mayim Bialik Fills In as ‘Jeopardy!’ Host After Mike Richards Steps Away

Days after Mike Richards stepped away from his permanent hosting gig on “Jeopardy!,” Mayim Bialik is filling in temporarily.

According to Deadline, Bialik will be taping three weeks of episodes for the show, which will resume shooting this week.

The show will also bring in guest hosts as it continues its search for a permanent host.

Weeks ago, Bialik signed on to host primetime and spin-off specials.

At the time, Bialik said, “I 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! 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!”

Last week, Richards stepped down from his gig after much backlash.

In a statement obtained by “Extra,” Mike said, “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.”

While the show resumes its search for a host, Mike noted that they’ll be “bringing back guest hosts to continue production for the new season.”

Richards ended his note with an apology to the show's staff, saying, “I want to apologize to each of you for the unwanted negative attention that has come to Jeopardy! over the last few weeks and for the confusion and delays this is now causing. I know I have a lot of work to do to regain your trust and confidence.”

Though Richards is no longer hosting, he’ll stay on as executive producer of the show. In a statement, Sony said, “We support Mike’s decision to step down as host. Mike has been with us for the last two years and has led the ‘Jeopardy!’ team through the most challenging time the show has ever experienced. It is our hope that as EP he will continue to do so with professionalism and respect.”

Days before his exit as host, Richards issued an apology after audio from old episodes of “The Randumb Show” podcast resurfaced on The Ringer, which included Richards making disparaging remarks about women.

The 46-year-old told The Ringer in a statement, “It is humbling to confront a terribly embarrassing moment of misjudgment, thoughtlessness, and insensitivity from nearly a decade ago. Looking back now, there is no excuse, of course, for the comments I made on this podcast and I am deeply sorry.”