‘Jeopardy!’ begins season with already-ousted Richards

By DAVID BAUDER
AP Media Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The very brief Mike Richards era on “Jeopardy” began Monday, a visible embarrassment for makers of the popular game show that has so far botched its effort to replace legendary Alex Trebek as host. Richards taped the first week of the show’s 38th season before resigning under pressure, then losing his job as executive producer. He was already considered an unpopular choice by fans even before old podcasts surfaced with him making demeaning remarks about women and minorities. There was no hoopla for Richards — if there had been, it was cut out — and Trebek’s family briefly appeared for a dedication of the show’s stage.