Ex-‘Jeopardy!’ host Mike Richards: Alex Trebek was in so ‘much pain’ before death

nypost.com:

who lasted exactly one day on the job as the show’s host, opened up about being fired — and about the strength of cancer-stricken Alex Trebek.

Richards, 48, replaced Trebek in August 2021, nine months after Trebek died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 80. He resigned after one show when Ringer.com published an article about Richards, which referenced disparaging comments he made about marginalized communities while hosting “The Randumb Show” in 2014.Richards, in a wide-ranging exclusive interview in People, recalled both his axing from “Jeopardy!” and Trebek, who kept on working despite being ill from his treatment for stage 4 pancreatic cancer.“I don’t think I will never see anything like it again,” he said of Trebek’s strength in carrying on with his “Jeopardy!” hosting duties in spite of his illness.“I’ve never seen someone in that much pain or that ill in my life, let alone going out and pitching five perfect games a day,” he told People.Trebek passed away in November 2020, leaving a huge gap on “Jeopardy!” — though his successor was never talked about behind-the-scenes, said Richards, who was the producer on the long-running, iconic show, having replaced veteran Harry Friedman in 2020.“We never discussed how to replace Alex once we knew he was sick,” Richards said. “A conversation like that would have been so disrespectful.“But we had talked about people coming in and guest-hosting if Alex got too sick,” he told People, “but we always knew Alex [would] come back until the day he decided he couldn’t.”Trebek continued to host “Jeopardy!” for months until he retired to spend time with his family amidst his cancer battle.“I actually thought we shouldjust name a new host,” Richards told People.