Mike Richards fired as 'Jeopardy!' and 'Wheel of Fortune' executive producer amid controversy

Mike Richards, who stepped down as "Jeopardy!" host last week amid accusations of past offensive comments, is also being removed from his role as executive producer.

In a statement sent to the game show's staff, Sony Pictures Television executive VP Suzanne Prete said Richards will no longer be the executive producer of the top-rated syndicated game show, "effective immediately."

Michael Davies, a longtime game-show producer whose credits include ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," will serve as interim producer.

"We had hoped that when Mike stepped down from the host position at Jeopardy! it would have minimized the disruption and internal difficulties we have all experienced these last few weeks. That clearly has not happened," Prete wrote.

Richards, 46, was selected for the job earlier this month, sparking controversy when comments from a 2014 podcast, while he was a producer of CBS' "The Price is Right," were resurfaced by a report from The Ringer.

More: Mayim Bialik fills in as temporary 'Jeopardy!' host after Mike Richards steps down

In the podcast Richards hosted, "The Randumb Show," The Ringer found that Richards repeatedly used offensive language to describe and denigrate women's bodies and he also made an offensive comment about Jewish people.

Three days after Richards stepped down as host, it was announced that Mayim Bialik, who was selected to host primetime "Jeopardy!" specials on ABC, would step in temporarily as the host in Richards' absence.

Richards will open the 38th season on Sept. 13, after taping the initial five episodes. Bialik will host the next three weeks of episodes, airing from Sept. 20 to Oct. 8. Additional guest hosts will be announced later, until a new permanent emcee is named.

James Holzhauer, the No. 2 "Jeopardy!" champion based on regular-play winnings, tweeted approvingly about Richards' exit.

"Do I think Mike Richards’s podcast comments were appropriate for polite society? No. But did he deserve the benefit of the doubt for the job he did running Jeopardy? Also no," he wrote.

He later tweeted a GIF from "The Wizard of Oz" with the song "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" and also tweeted a meme praising the writer of The Ringer article, Claire McNear.

Contributing: Anika Reed, Amy Haneline

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mike Richards fired as 'Jeopardy!' and 'Wheel of Fortune' producer