Mike Richards is reportedly the front-runner to become permanent host of Jeopardy!

The Jeopardy! set.
(Image credit: Amanda Edwards / Getty Images)

Jeopardy! may soon have its new permanent host, with the quiz show's executive producer, Mike Richards, in advance negotiations to take the position, Variety reports.

Following iconic host Alex Trebek's death last November, the show returned with a star-studded roster of guest hosts, including Mayim Bialik, LeVar Burton, Anderson Cooper, Robin Roberts, and Ken Jennings. Richards, who joined Jeopardy! as an executive producer in 2020, also filled in for a show. Variety says he impressed the higher-ups at Sony Pictures with "his command of the fast-paced game and easy on-air manner."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.