It worked. All it took was five months, numerous tweets by co-stars and other celebrities, and nearly a quarter of a million signatures on a petition, but LeVar Burton will be a guest host on “Jeopardy.”
“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,” Burton tweeted after the game show announced the next lineup of hosts.
When longtime host Alex Trebek died Nov. 8 from pancreatic cancer, “Jeopardy” producers began recruiting celebrities to stand behind his lectern and read the answers to contestants. That’s when Burton’s fans began a petition at Change.org.
“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 (sic) 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 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!”
Burton made sure to thank the person who started the petition.
Burton’s fans, including a former co-star, were just as excited about the announcement as the actor was.
“LeVar Burton is a multiple award-winning actor, director, educator and cofounder of the Skybrary App, former host and executive producer of PBS’s “Reading Rainbow,” and a lifelong children’s literacy advocate. He also hosts his own podcast, “LeVar Burton Reads,” highlighting the best short fiction. Some of Burton’s most recognizable acting roles are as Kunta Kinte in the acclaimed mini-series “Roots” and as Lt. Commander Geordi LaForge in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Over the course of his career, he has earned 13 Emmy Awards, a George Foster Peabody Award, and a Grammy Award,” Jeopardy wrote announcing the next round of hosts.
In addition to Burton, Season 37 will have as guest hosts: Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, David Faber and Joe Buck.
Burton’s shows will air July 26-30.
About the Author
