Star Trek’s LeVar Burton believes he never had a fair shot at Jeopardy! job
When Alex Trebek passed away, the question of who would host Jeopardy! became a hot topic. A lot of people made sense, with many believing the greatest contestant ever, with Ken Jennings being the most obvious pick. He would end up getting the job, alongside former The Big Bang Theory actress Mayim Bialik. One name, however, that had a huge push by fans to take over the duties of the host was Star Trek’s, LeVar Burton.
Burton is of course most known for his time as a member of the Star Trek: The Next Generation era of the franchise but he’s also known just as well for his time as the host of Reading Rainbow, a PBS series that taught children about the joys of learning.
Burton, however, never felt like he had a fair shake, telling Newsy (via Vibe and MSN)
"“I honestly thought that I was well-suited for it. As it turns out, it really wasn’t a competition after all. The fix was in. I think it was in that first week of feeling really, sort of, not just disappointed, but wrecked. I didn’t expect that I would not be their choice for host."
LeVar Burton will host after all, just not Jeopardy!
While Burton didn’t get the gig with Jeopardy!, all is not lost for Burton. Not only is he set for a major role in Star Trek: Picard coming up in 2022-2023, but he’s also bringing a new game show to the airwaves that he’ll produce and host; Trivial Pursuit.
Not a lot is known about the series yet, as it was just announced in November of 2021, but the show is expected to see Burton host the long-running board game-turned television series when it finally does launch.