Jeopardy! accused of a "diversity fake out" with Mike Richards as the potential new host

The Daily Beast

As many Jeopardy! fans have pointed out, Alex Trebek told TMZ in 2018 that his top choice for his Jeopardy! successor was CNN legal analyst Laura Coates. “There is an attorney, Laura Coates,” Trebek told TMZ's Harvey Levin. “She’s African-American, and she appears on some of the cable news shows from time to time.” Variety's report that Richards is in advanced negotiations to become the new host has inspired a "Diversity fake out" thread on Reddit. "The Jeopardy gig going to the inside candidate (who is actually the white male executive producer of the show) while they brought in a bunch of 'diverse' guest hosts for appearances is basically the academic job market,” tweeted critical race sociologist Crystal Fleming, whose tweet led the thread. A Reddit user added: “Anytime there’s a single, highly coveted spot the bias ultimately wins out. You’re more likely to get diversity when you hire for multiple positions. When it’s a single spot it’s always ‘well, yes he’s white and male but he was the best person for the job.’”

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