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“Danger!” Fans are shocked by reports that the show’s executive producer Mike Richards is the apparent frontrunner to replace beloved host Alex Trebek after harassment and discrimination lawsuits against Richards resurfaced.
The long-running game show hasn’t announced a new permanent host, but Variety has reported that Richards is in advanced negotiations for the coveted concert. “Danger!” is looking for a new host after Trebek died in November from pancreatic cancer.
The show declined to comment this week on news that Richards is in negotiations.
Richards joined the show last year as an executive producer and served as guest host from late February through early March. Variety reported that Sony Pictures Television, which produces “Jeopardy!”, Was impressed with the way Richards on air and the mastery of the game.
But some viewers were not thrilled and expressed their frustrations on social media. Many fans were upset that actor LeVar Burton was not the choice and others pointed out that Richards had been involved in two discrimination lawsuits.
“Another lawsuit against Mike Richards. You didn’t care? No one is going to watch @Jeopardy with such a toxic person as the host and executive producer,” one Twitter user said. wrote.
“@Jeopardy is so ready to build on the legacy of Alex Trebek,” another Twitter user job, adding: “They are leaving with a bland, pedestrianized host with a disturbing past. Do better #Jeopardy!”
Richards has not publicly addressed the lawsuits. NBC News has reached out to Sony Pictures Television for comment. “Jeopardy” declined to comment on the allegations made against Richards in the lawsuits. Richards was not available for comment.
One of the lawsuits was filed by Brandi Cochran, a former “The Price Is Right” model, who said she was fired after becoming pregnant. The lawsuit, filed in March 2010, listed defendants as CBS Corp., CBS Television Network, Fremantle Media and “The Price Is Right”.
Richards, who was a producer for “The Price Is Right,” was not listed as accused but was charged in the trial with treating Cochran differently after announcing she was pregnant at the end of 2008.
“After learning of Cochran’s pregnancy, the accused’s executive producer Mike Richards did not speak to her as often as before,” the lawsuit said. “Unlike other colleagues, he didn’t congratulate her on being pregnant.”
He also accused Richards of telling another model that she would get more work because of Cochran’s pregnancy. According to the costume, the model later told Cochran that Richards told her, “Go figure! I fire five girls… What are the chances?
Cochran, according to the lawsuit, interpreted Richards’ comment to mean that he would have fired her had he known she was pregnant.
The lawsuit then alleged that Cochran was pressured to reveal her pregnancy on air because colleagues told her she was starting to show up. He said it had been announced that she was expecting twins, Richards “asked her twice, annoyingly, ‘Twins? Are you serious? … Are you serious?'”
Cochran was less reserved after this exchange with Richards, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also said other producers had commented on Cochran’s weight, appearance and eating habits. According to the complaint, Cochran had a difficult pregnancy and lost one of her twins due to a heart defect in utero.
After her maternity leave ended, Cochran attempted to return to “The Price Is Right” but was not selected for the job, the lawsuit said. She eventually learned that she had been fired, according to the lawsuit.
The case went to trial and a jury awarded Cochran more than $ 8 million. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge then overturned it and Cochran and the defendants moved out of court, according to documents.
In 2011, another model “Price Is Right” filed a complaint. Richards, along with Fremantle Media and producer Adam Sandler, were named as defendants. (The Sandler named in the costume is not actor Adam Sandler.)
According to the Los Angeles Times, model Lanisha Cole accused Richards in the lawsuit of treating her differently from other models.
“Specifically, without limitation, the defendant Richards refused to speak with the plaintiff about anything, work-related or not, under any circumstances,” according to a copy of the lawsuit published by The Times.
The costume stated that Richards would write notes and give them to other models and staff to pass on to Cole.
“The Applicant is informed and believes that none of the ICTR models were ignored by the Respondent Richards or received notes in this way,” he said, further alleging that “this has radically changed the workplace atmosphere for the applicant “.
The lawsuit claimed that by the time Richards stopped talking to Cole, he began an intimate relationship with another model.
Cole also alleged that Sandler broke into her dressing room and berated her in front of her peers for not wearing a microphone. According to the lawsuit, Cole ultimately left the show because she didn’t believe her concerns had ever been properly investigated.
Richards was subsequently dropped as a defendant and the lawsuit was settled in 2013, according to The Daily Beast.
NBC News has reached out to CBS Corporation, Fremantle Media, “The Price Is Right” and Sandler for comment on the allegations raised in the lawsuits.
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