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'Jeopardy!' executive producer takes over as guest host

Mike Richards, executive producer of "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune," is hosting the quiz game show through March 5.
Credit: "Jeopardy!"
"Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune" Executive Producer Mike Richards.

LOS ANGELES — You may have been watching "Jeopardy!" Monday night and wondered what happened to Ken Jennings.

Mike Richards, executive producer of "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune," is hosting the quiz game show through March 5.

“I was very fortunate to have a front row seat to watch and study Alex," Richards said in a statement. "Stepping in as a guest host was incredibly humbling, emotional and a lot of fun. It will forever be the honor of my life.”

Richards has previously served as host on two reality shows, including "Beauty and the Geek," and two game shows, including "The Pyramid" on Game Show Network.

He takes over guest hosting duties from Jennings, who served as interim host for 6 weeks from Jan. 11-Feb. 19. During his run as a contestant on "Jeopardy!," Jennings won 74 games and $2.52 million. 

After Richards, journalist and New York Times best-selling author Katie Couric will host the show for two weeks, from March 8-19.

Future guest hosts include Dr. Mehmet Oz, "The Dr. Oz Show"; Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers quarterback; Savannah Guthrie, "TODAY" co-anchor; Anderson Cooper, CNN anchor; Mayim Bialik, "The Big Bang Theory" actress and neuroscientist; Bill Whitaker, "60 Minutes" correspondent; and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN chief medical correspondent.

RELATED: 5-time 'Jeopardy!' champion Brayden Smith dead at 24

RELATED: Alex Trebek's family, 'Jeopardy!' donates late host's wardrobe to charity

Alex Trebek, who hosted the show for 37 seasons, died Nov. 8, 2020 from his battle with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He was 80 years old.

More than two months after Alex Trebek’s death, fans of “Jeopardy!” finally got the chance to say goodbye. A video tribute to the host closed out the final episode Trebek taped.

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