LeVar Burton Will Be ‘Hurt’ If He Doesn’t Land Jeopardy!

Contributed By Scott Lipscomb

LeVar Burton has not been shy about his desire to host Jeopardy. As we reported earlier in the year after the passing of long time host Alex Trebeck.

Since Alex Trebek’s passing, LeVar Burton has been very vocal about being the next host, including reposting a petition that calls for him to get the job.
While he was selected as the guest host, no official announcement has been made on who the full time host will be.


He told The New York Times, “It will hurt. I’m not going to lie. But if that happens, I will get over it. I will be fine. Remember: Everything happens perfectly and for a reason. That is my default. It’s all going to be OK. Because it always is.”

He added, “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.”

While LeVar would make an amazing host, Jeopardy executive producer Mike James said ““What we’re going to look for is the best candidate for the show. We’ve been very clear, and how we have approached the guest hosts is that we are going to not limit it to anyone based on anything. We’re going to look for the best people. That would be the ‘Jeopardy!’ way.”