Mike Richards, who became the host of the popular game show ‘Jeopardy!’ last week, is stepping down after offensive comments that he made in the past resurfaced on the internet. 

“It pains me that these past incidents and comments have cast such a shadow on Jeopardy! as we look to start a new chapter,” Richards said in a memo Friday morning.

The 46-year-old wrote in the memo that Sony will start looking for a permanent syndicated host and in the meantime, “we will be bringing back guest hosts to continue production for the new season, details of which will be announced next week.”

Also Read: Hospital Playlist 2: Jung Kyung Ho releases a new OST titled ‘Reminiscence’

Richards will, however, remain the executive producer of the show.

He said to the staff, “I want to apologize to each of you for the unwanted negative attention that has come to Jeopardy! over the last few weeks and for the confusion and delays this is now causing. I know I have a lot of work to do to regain your trust and confidence.”

Also Read: Hospital Playlist: Everything you need to know about Jung Kyung-ho

On Wednesday, The Ringer reported that Claire McNear, who is the author of a recent book about ‘Jeopardy!’, found old podcasts of the anchor in which he was seen making derogatory remarks about Jews and people receiving unemployment benefits. He was also seen making sexist comments about women.

Following this, Richards took down the podcast episodes and issued an apology, saying “Even with the passage of time, it’s more than clear that my attempts to be funny and provocative were not acceptable, and I have removed the episodes.”

“My responsibilities today as a father, husband, and a public personality who speaks to many people through my role on television means I have substantial and serious obligations as a role model, and I intend to live up to them,” he added.