The search for a permanent Jeopardy! host continues with the series still working their way through a series of guest hosts that has previously included “Greatest of All Time” winner Ken Jennings, series executive producer Mike Richards, and TV presenter Katie Couric, but the people want someone else. Since Alex Trebek’s death was announced last year one name has continued to be a fan-favorite to take on the task of delivering the answers from that iconic lectern, LeVar Burton. As controversial figures like Dr. Oz have gotten their chance to guest host the series, the call for the former Reading Rainbow host to take the job has only grown and now Burton himself has indicated interest.
The former Star Trek actor took to Twitter yesterday to react to one fan who posted about him being the host, simply using the “shifty eyes” emoji. Hours later Burton tweeted “Leaving this here in the event the powers that be are listening…,” including a link to a Change.Org petition that is titled “Make LeVar Burton the next host of Jeopardy!” As of this writing the petition has over 141k signatures and has continued to grow since it was launched over five months ago.
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“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,” The petition’s description reads. “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!”
Other previously announced guest hosts for Jeopardy! that will appear on television in the coming months include 60 Minutes host Bill Whitaker, The Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik, and presenters Anderson Cooper, Savannah Guthrie, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
“You will also see big-name people who are not going to be considered for the role but they just love the show, love Alex and wanted to pay tribute,” EP Mike Richards said previously in an interview with Deadline. “So not everyone who comes on is auditioning. We are going to go in a lot of different directions, I don’t think we want to be in a hurry to name a new person. We all are still mourning the loss — certainly I am — of Alex, and I think just turning around and naming someone would be irresponsible and not thoughtful, which is antithesis of Jeopardy!”
Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is currently guest hosting the series.
(Cover Photo by Ian Tuttle/Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize)
