Why LeVar Burton could never be the host of ‘Jeopardy’
While LeVar Burton may be a top contender for Jeopardy! fans for the position of permanent host, it does not seem like producers of the game show agree. The former Reading Rainbow star has been quite vocal these past years about his want to take on the legacy the late Alex Trebek left behind, and even went on the show previously as a guest host himself.
So why is he not being considered for the spot? Let’s take a look here.
Why is he not being considered for the spot?
To many fans’ disappointments, the chances for LeVar Burton of being the next permanent host of Jeopardy! are slim to none. According to TMZ, while the star has remained incredibly vocal about being a host on the game show in the past, it turns out that he had never ever been seriously considered to fill in the opening position. Why is that? After all, fans even created a whole petition to try and get LeVar Burton the spot!
TMZ wrote that sources from the production team on the hit game show stated that “Sony Studios execs loved the Reading Rainbow star as a guest host, but they didn’t think he was the right fit for the daily syndicated quiz show. . . and the same can be said about almost all the other guest hosts”. Of course, this is definitely very disappointing news for not just the star himself, but also the many fans who wanted to see him as host.
It seems like there are no hard feelings for LeVar Burton though, despite just how much he had wanted to be the permanent host of Jeopardy!. He expressed that he at least got his chance to guest host, which was something he always wanted. TMZ even reported that sources confirmed Sony did still discuss numerous other potential projects with the star outside of the game show, so there’s still a chance we can see him in future shows.
A dream for him
Being a host for Jeopardy! has been a dream for Burton, and the star had always made that very clear throughout the past years. In fact, the Reading Rainbow icon has been publicly expressing these wishes since the year 2013, when he tweeted in May of that year: “The new Host of #Jeopardy”. In 2020, he also said: “Not gonna lie, I feel like I’ve been preparing my whole life to occupy the @Jeopardy host podium when Alex retires”.
Soon enough, fans of the star hopped on board also eager to see LeVar Burton host the hit game show. Back in November, a fan even started a Change.org petition to see LeVar Burton as the host of the game show. The petition ended up getting over 257,000 signees, and eventually got the attention of Burton himself, who responded with: “Even if nothing comes from it, I can’t tell how much I appreciate all y’alls love and support!”
In an interview with The New York Times Magazine, he expressed why he wanted the job so badly. He said: “It’s difficult to explain, but there’s something inside me that says this makes sense. I feel like this is what I’m supposed to do. I have been watching Jeopardy more or less every night of my life since Art Fleming was host. Jeopardy is a cultural touchstone, and for a Black man to occupy that podium is significant”.
“Look, I have had a career for the [expletive] ages. Roots, Star Trek, Reading Rainbow. Won a Grammy. Got a shelf full of Emmys. I’m a storyteller, and game shows are tremendous stories”. He also shared to EW: “I think my whole career is an advertisement for being the host of Jeopardy”.
Well, we’re sure many fans and LeVar Burton himself are incredibly disappointed with the producers’ decisions. While we trust that the production team of the game show will still choose an excellent candidate, we still can’t help but want to see the Reading Rainbows star up on that podium, smashing it again as the host of Jeopardy!.
