Mike Richards, Jeopardy! host frontrunner, was sued twice for harassment when he was a producer on The Price is Right

The Hollywood Reporter

Articles on lawsuits against Richards emerged last night after Variety announced that he's the frontrunner to take over full-time hosting duties on Jeopardy! "Dear @sonypictures TV, now might not be the best time to name Mike Richards as the host of @Jeopardy," tweeted TV writer Nell Scovell. "Looks like he enabled toxicity in his former workplace." In 2012, The Price is Right model Brandi Cochran was awarded more than $7.7 million after she sued accusing two producers of sidelining and harassing her after she became pregnant. One of those producers was Richards. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Richards allegedly "didn’t talk to her as frequently and he implied to her that she would have been one of the models fired had the pregnancy not been secret. She also said she was pressured to announce her pregnancy on the air, and when she delivered the news that she was carrying twins, she was given less work." At trial, Richards denied unfavorable treatment to Cochran. In 2011, model Lanisa Cole sued The Price is Right alleging sexual harassment. Again, Richards was one of two producers named in the lawsuit. The Los Angeles Times reported that the lawsuit alleged that "beginning in December 2009, the situation began to deteriorate when Richards suddenly and inexplicably stopped speaking to Cole and began showing favoritism to another model with whom he was having a relationship...According to the court papers, Richards used policies 'which never before existed' to limit her modeling work on the show and engaged in abusive behavior." A judge later dismissed Richards as a defendant and Cole's case was settled out of court. Meanwhile, former Jeopardy! contestant Roey Hadar points out that Glenn Kagan, the show's coordinator for more than 30 years, sued the show for age discrimination after he was fired after Richards took over last year amid the pandemic. ALSO: Jeopardy! fans accuse Mike Richards of "pulling a Dick Cheney" -- leading a hiring committee through an arduous recruitment process only to hire himself.