LeVar Burton To Guest Host Jeopardy! After Petition Called For Him To Get Permanent Spot

April 22, 2021 by C.J. in TV with 0 Comments

LeVar Burton To Guest Host Jeopardy! After Petition Called For Him To Get Permanent Spot

LeVar Burton could be one step closer to becoming the next host of Jeopardy!

The “Reading Rainbow” icon has made it clear he hopes to be the one to replace late long-running host Alex Trebek, who sadly died of pancreatic cancer last year.

While there has been a rotation of guest hosts, a permanent host has not been named yet.

Meanwhile, LeVar Burton has campaigned for the spot on social media.

A petition on Change.org has garnered nearly 250,000 signatures as of Thursday (April 22nd).

It reads,

“Between hosting 21 seasons of the educational Reading Rainbow, playing the brainiac engineer Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: the Next Generation, and filling the roll of Kunta Kinte in the ever important mini-series Roots, LeVar Burton has inspired and shaped the minds of several generations of trivia-loving nerds. This petition is to show Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and producers Mike Richards and Harry Friedman just how much love the public has for Burton, and how much we’d all love to see him as the next host of Jeopardy!”

LeVar Burton also told USA Today’s The Mothership Podcast April 16th that he truly does want to be the new host.

He said he is “really, really, really” serious about it, adding:

“This is something that I really think is a good idea. I think it’s a good fit of what the show is, what the show requires and what I feel like I bring to the table.”

He added that he wanted to do

“justice to the legacy of Alex.”

It looks like he might get a chance, at least with a guest hosting spot for now.

He shared on Twitter that he’s in the final lineup for season 37 of the classic game show and wrote:

“THANK YOU… to all y’all for your passionate support! I am overjoyed, excited, and eager to be guest-hosting Jeopardy!, and will do my utmost best to live up to your faith you in me. YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE! Go ahead and take my word for it, this time.”