♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, the army of influencers on tiktok, getting the message out on the covid-19 vaccine by joining forces with the white house. >> when it comes to people saying like no, the vaccineti's going to microchip you, you just immediately want to knock down and debunk the stuff that's misinformation. >> reaching out to young americans and their families hesitant to get the shot. >> if we are helping one kid talk to their parents about getting vaccinated, like then we are doing our job. >> could gen z content creators help cut throughmisinformation? plus -- >> mike richards! >> final jeopardy for michael richards. the executive producer picked to

host his show stepping down over controversial remarks. now the search is back on for the next replacement for alex trebek. >> "nightline" will be right back. (vo) for over 50 years purina cat chow has been helping cats feel at home. with trusted nutrition, no wonder it's the number one dry cat food in america. come home to cat chow. don't settle for products that give you a sort of white smile. try new crest whitening emulsions for 100% whiter teeth. its highly active peroxide droplets swipe on in seconds. better. faster. 100% whiter teeth. crestwhitesmile.com at usaa, we've been called too exclusive. because we were created for officers. but as we've evolved with the military, we've grown to serve all who've honorably served. no matter their rank, or when they were in. a marine just out of basic, or a petty officer from '73. and even his kids. and their kids.

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gaining full approval from the fda today, a move that president biden hopes will encourage more americans to get the shot, especially young people. and to help spread the message the white house reaching out to an unlikely group. influencers. here's "nightline's" arshan singh. >> so today on my story i'm going to say ask me anything about my vaccine experience. experience. make sure i spell that with a little heart so people feel welcomed. >> reporter: tiktoker elie zeiler is doing an asking ask me anything with her followers. the 17-year-old content creator with over 10 million followers is known for her posts featuring fashion hauls, beauty hacks and viral dance videos. but today -- >> so many people ask me. >> reporter: she's talking to her fans about the covid-19 vaccine. and instead of a typical endorsement deal from major brands, lately -- >> hi, dr. fauci. >> reporter: -- it's actually the united states government asking for elie's help.

>> the white house actually reaches out. what were they looking for? >> they said they were starting this whole process of reaching out tom influencers, people in the public eye and really wanting to stop these rumors and get the word out about the vaccine. >> reporter: zeiler, who got her vaccine in may, sharing her own experience with the shot to ease the concerns of other young americans. the least vaccinated age group in the country. >> a lot of people are asking did it hurt, was it painful, did you have any side effects after getting the second dose. i had no side effects. but this person said do you recommend getting the vaccine as a 13-year-old girl? i don't know why but i'm scared. i 100% think that everyone should get vaccinated. 4,000 people have seen it so far. but by the end of the day around 60,000 to 100,000 people will see this later. >> reporter: as the country battles another covid surge, doctors say this is now the pandemic of the unvaccinated.

fewer than half of americans age 18 to 24 are fully why vavaccin. and with the highly contagious delta variant spreading and schools starting up again the rush is on to get shots in the arms of america's youngest generation. the biden administration is reaching gen z in the best way they know how, through their phones, enlisting the likes of social media icons. >> if olivia rodrigo tells you to get vaccinated, you get vaccinated. >> reporter: like olivia rodrigo. >> it's a day in my life as a white house intern. > benny drama. even dude with sign. to help get the word out. >> what's that like? you started out this page lip-syncing. and now you're helping inform the country about the realities of a vaccine that could help save millions of lives. >> yeah. i think that's just the impact of social media. that anyone can do it. >> reporter: and they're not just promoting vaccines but combating a growing tide of vax misinformation and unfounded conspiracies running rampant on social media.

did you feel responsibility to your followers to speak out about the vaccine? >> yeah. i was used to in the beginning of the pandemic giving them, being a positive place for them to actually giving them useful and straight up factual advice that i knew was going to be ben feshl because beneficial because i talked to dr. fauci about it. >> reporter: currently authorized covid vac are among the most well studied in history. their speedy development relying on decades of scientific research and billions in government investment. >> hi, dr. fauci. >> reporter: the biden administration pairing creators with america's top doc, chief medical adviser dr. anthony fauci, dispelling myths and answering young people's most burning questions directly. >> my first question for you is is the actual covid virus in the vaccine? >> the answer is absolutely not. it is not the virus. it's one particular protein called the spike protein. >> i keep hearing people talking about fertility being a reason not to get vaccinated. what's your opinion on that? >> well, it's not an opinion,

jax. it's the facts. and the facts are that with the experience of literally hundreds of millions of vaccinations among women there is no indication whatsoever that it has any impact on fertility. >> reporter: and when it comes to working directly with the white house -- >> were the symptoms bad? >> reporter: many of these social media stars are doing it for free. >> influencers are used to making tens of thousands of dollars for a post. why do this? >> they're doing it because they believe in it. promoting vaccination and working with the white house is a status symbol. >> it's almost like the real clout is getting to sit down with dr. fauci. >> exactly. dr. fauci's a hugely viral figure. and by the way, doing an interview with dr. fauci, that generates enormous engagement on their social channels. these influencers are getting a lot from the deal even if it's not direct payment. >> hello, everyone. >> reporter: aidan con murphy founded gen z for change, an organization recruited by the white house to help promote the

vaccine. >> gen z for change is a coalition of over 500 tiktok creators with a combined following of 432 million people. our cumulative reach in one month is about 1.5 billion views. that's more than cnn, msnbc, and fox news combined per month. >> i don't know. who needs to hear this? but -- >> reporter: one of gen z for change's team members is lacy b., a missouri-based tiktoker with over 1 million followers. >> i'm personally talking to my black and brown communities here when i say i understand why we wouldn't touch [ bleep ] the government gives us. but i'm also telling you that we are the most affected by the virus. >> reporter: what are some of the specific hesitations that you're hearing about as to why people won't get the vaccine? >> most of the questions were just basically can they trust it and just seeing how i reacted with it and just asking me my personal experience when it comes to the vaccine. >> reporter: in missouri, where she lives, less than 50% of the population is fully vaccinated.

and only 28% of the black community is a part of that group. >> in my videos i do speak in english and spanish and make sure i have subtitles just because i want to reach the largest audience possible. >> i keep trying to tell you you're going to be genetically modified. >> reporter: community mistrust is not to be confused with active disinformation. >> it's going to be the perfect time and the perfect stage set to bring in the antichrist. >> reporter: and these young influencers are stepping up to cut through that noise. >> it's definitely very hard to navigate. but when it comes to people saying like you know, the vaccine's going to microchip you, so you just want to immediately knock down, you know, and debunk the stuff that's disinformation. >> reporter: on social media the slope from legitimate concerns about the vaccine to far-fetched conspiracy theories is slippery. a recent study found that 124 tiktok videos containing vaccine misinformation were viewed more than 20 million times and shared nearly 340,000 times. what is the range of misinformation we're actually

seeing right now? >> the conspiracies out there are insane. there's all these fake videos of people gluing a stapler to their head or whatever and saying the vaccine is making them magnetic. you about the more insidious stuff you'd call it sort of soft disinformation. it's kind of meant to prime you to believe more extreme theories. >> how do you talk to your vaccine hesitant loved ones in a calm informative way? >> reporter: gen z for change makes it a point to coach their creators on the different types of misinformation out there. >> we talked a lot about the truth sandwich which is kind of coming in with a very empathetic approach, explaining a little bit of the truth behind the vaccine and then kind of dislodging the rumor and the misinformation that the person might believe without making them feel small because nobody ever wants to be told that they're wrong. and then closing out with again an empathetic approach and linking them to sources where they can do their own research. >> reporter: each creator we spoke to acknowledges that some of the inaccuracies they see online come from followers' parents. is it frustrating to think that a lot of the misinformation that

young people are getting is actually coming from their parents? >> it's so frustrating. because they grew up in a different atmosphere that we did and so it's very much like we have to take control of our own destiny. >> we know that navigating conversations with your family about the vaccine can be difficult. >> so we made a video kind of talking about based on the type of parent you have here is how to approach them in a conversation without making them mad, without causing any strife, and like but to have an effective conversation with them about how to get vaccinated if that's something you want. >> reporter: still, it's an uphill battle for these creators. a study by uc san francisco researchers found that about 12 one in four unvacs feted people age 18 to 25 said they probably will not or definitely will not get the covid-19 vaccination. do you think these pro-vaccine campaigns are enough to get the unvaccinated vaccinated? >> anti-vaxx influencers, they will spend all day every day

promoting disinformation. so it's great that these influencers are off doing a post with dr. fauci, but they're up against this very coordinated disinformation network. i think they need to take a look at the role that these tech platforms are playing. >> reporter: either way, these influencers all say if they can change one person's mind they'll have helped make a difference. >> 100% would definitely be the goal. but even just constantly getting a higher number of people that are vaccinated and getting a lower number of people in the hospital with covid or people that are dying from covid because you don't want this to still be a death wish. >> you feel like you're helping? >> i do feel like i'm helping. i get e-mails and dms a lot of the time where it was like i got my first shot of the vaccine today because i saw your video, because i saw you, which is so crazy to say out loud. but that is what makes me continue to want to do it. >> our thanks to ashin. the beloved game show mired in

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♪ mike richards' time has run out as the new host of "jeopardy." after just one day of taping stepping down from hosting after accusations of past offensive comments surfaced. here's abc's will reed with the rise and fall of a man who had been picked to replace the legendary alex trebek. >> and the category is job openings. for the second time in under a year the iconic quiz show "jeopardy" is without a host.

after newly minted host and executive producer mike richards became mired in controversy and stepped down. a mere nine days into the gig. >> don't stop believin'. >> reporter: since the beginning of the year the show's 37th season has featured a revolving door of 16 guest hosts, some vying for the position left vacant when beloved host alex trebek died last november from pancreatic cancer. >> thanks to all you great game players. >> you have a slight lead. >> reporter: at the podium some familiar faces. >> i'm honored to be here guest-hosting "jeopardy." >> what a thrill for me to be here on this stage. >> reporter: and fan favorites like levar burton. >> primarily working on black holes. >> reporter: then earlier this month richards and actress mayim bialik were announced as the lucky winners. richards tapped to host the weekday shows and bialik, best known for her role on cbs's "big bang theory," on primetime specials. >> mike richards has come under fire. >> the new host of "jeopardy" is under fire again. >> looks like richards' job

might be in -- jeopardy. >> reporter: the sudden news of richards' departure coming fewer than 48 hours after a report published in the ringer unearthed a trove of sexist, racist and other disparaging remarks made by richards op his podcast, recorded from 2013 to 2014. >> this has certainly been kind of a surprise. i mean, it was stunning to see somebody act and act so quickly. >> reporter: claire mcnear who wrote the article in question listened to all 41 episodes of richards' "the random show," which sl v. since been dleefted. >> there's a lot of sexist language. a lot of ablist language. he uses some pretty ugly slurs. >> reporter: in one installment richards is heard pressing his female co-host on whether or not she had taken nude photos. >> let me ask you a question. have you ever taken a nude picture? >> i'm not answering that question. do you, mike richards? >> answer it right now to your fans. have you? >> i mean -- no. i haven't. >> yes, you have. >> not like naked. i've taken like cute pictures of

myself. that i've -- >> what does that mean? >> i don't know. i thought i was so cute. >> like booby pictures? what are we looking at? >> reporter: and in another episode he's heard calling his co-host's friends fat after seeing a photo of them in one-piece swimsuits. >> it's so funny because no oe's overweight but -- >> but they all look terrible in the picture. they look fat and like not good in the picture. it's bad. >> oh, my god. >> you look great. you look like a "sports illustrated" model and then you've got one-piece malones on either side of you which are just horrible. >> it felt shocking and it felt like something that you know, you would not probably want from somebody running a workplace to, you know, be talking that way and behaving that way around much younger women who report to him. >> reporter: the backlash to richards swift. fans taking to twitter. one person writing, "mike richards is tarnishing alex trebek's and jeopardy's legacy." the anti-defamation league calling for an investigation, writing "disparaging remarks about jews, women and asians are no laughing matter. stereotyping is an entry point

to hate and his apology lacks acknowledgment of its harm." as mcnear's story broke richards began taping for the new season of "jeopardy." >> richards went to the lot and taped the first five games of the new season that will air sometime in mid september. and then friday morning sony announced that he had stepped down. >> reporter: in a letter to the "jeopardy" staff richards announced his departure saying, "over the last several days it has become clear that moving forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show." adding "it pains me that these past incidents and comments have cast such a shadow on jeopardy as we look to start a new chapter." >> i wouldn't say that claire's article led to his takedown. i would say that mike's own words and actions led to his takedown and her only issue was that she was a journalist who shined a light on it. he has no one to blame but himself. >> reporter: sony also coming under criticism for not vetting richards more carefully. >> how could this be out there and sony not know about it?

in this day and age it's almost unheard of that a studio would not vet a candidate for a job of this caliber. "jeopardy" is a billion-dollar-plus franchise and you have to protect it. and they just didn't do their due diligence. >> reporter: as for richards, he's no stranger to the game show world. he hosted programs like "beauty and the geek." >> mike richards! >> reporter: and guest hosting "the price is right." until he was tapped to become the executive producer of that show. >> all right. nice to meet you. >> reporter: but that was not without controversy. >> there was a lot of additional scrutiny to a pair of lawsuits from his time at the "price is right." they both centered on the mistreatment of female employees by male supervisors including richards. >> reporter: in response to those allegations, which were settled out of court with no admission of wrongdoing, richards e-mailed his "jeopardy" staff, stating "they do not reflect the reality of who i am or how we worked together on the price is right."

for now ma yyim bialik will sta alone as the search continues. >> i've been a "jeopardy" fan my entire show. >> "jeopardy" in 2021, people love it across generations. everybody knows "jeopardy," everybody loves "jeopardy." >> reporter: while no host could ever truly replace the legendary trebek and his 36 years as the face and soul of "jeopardy," audiences will have to wait for a new host to buzz in. >> it's an important part of many people's lives. and how can i not be affected by that expression of emotion or feeling about a television program? that's all it is. it's a tv show. but it's feel-good television. it's the best kind of reality television, i feel. >> our thanks to will. up next, do you know where you can find the rock? >> oh, my god! >> how are you all doing? i'll wait.

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and finally tonight, a true hollywood story. >> this is kind of funny. there's a tour bus here.

>> it's not every day you meet a celebrity. unless you're in hollywood. >> oh, my god! >> the rock surprising a group of tourists on a bus that regularly drives through his neighborhood in los angeles. dwayne johnson sharing the viral clip on tiktok. and making a few new fans along the way. >> all right, brother. oh, cool. you guys have a good trip. >> we love you. >> all right. thank you. love you too. >> rock on. that's "nightline" for this evening. we'll see you right back here same time tomorrow. thanks for the company, america. good night.