LeVar Burton Says He No Longer Wants to Be ‘Jeopardy!’ Host
It was once LeVar Burton‘s dream to become the permanent host of Jeopardy!, but his opinion has changed since he guest-hosted the long-running game show.
The Star Trek actor joined Trevor Noah on The Daily Show on Thursday night and opened up about his stint on Jeopardy! as well as the overwhelming fan support he received — a fan petition endorsing Burton as the new Jeopardy! host amassed almost 300,000 signatures.
“You know, we did a Kickstarter several years ago,” Burton said. “I discovered then that the generation of adults now, who grew up on Reading Rainbow, they were down with whatever it is I wanted to do, and the same was true with this Jeopardy! thing. I made it public that I wanted it for myself, that it made sense to me, and they were all about it. It made as much sense to them as it did to me.”
Burton got his opportunity to guest host the iconic game show back in July. However, when it came time to select a full-time host, Sony Pictures opted for the show’s executive producer Mike Richards. This decision was met with immediate backlash and controversy, ultimately leading to Richards departing the show as both host and producer.
Full interview with @levarburton: https://t.co/1mSiyprEhE
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) September 17, 2021
Despite being overlooked for the role, Burton is not losing any sleep over it. “The crazy thing is that when you set your sights on something, you know, they say be careful of what you wish for because what I found out is that it wasn’t the thing that I wanted after all,” he told Noah.
“What I wanted was to compete. I mean, I wanted the job, right, but then, when I didn’t get it, it was, like, well, okay, what’s next?” he continued. “And, so, the opportunities that have come my way as a result of not getting that gig, I couldn’t have dreamt it up. If you had given me a pen and paper and said, well, so what do you want this to really look like? If it doesn’t include Jeopardy! I wouldn’t have been this generous to myself.”
After it was revealed that Burton didn’t get the Jeopardy! gig, award-winning director Ava DuVernay posted a tweet indicating she wanted to find a way to work with the former Reading Rainbow host. “Me trying to create a show right in this moment for @levarburton to host and make an international hit,” she wrote.
“I never thought about hosting any other game show outside of Jeopardy! But now, they went in a different direction with their show, which is their right, and now I’m thinking, well, it does kind of make sense, let me see what I can do,” Burton added. “So we’re trying to figure out what the right game show for LeVar Burton would be.”
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Monday, 11/10c, Comedy Central
Jeopardy!, Weeknights, check your local listings
Conversation17 Comments
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G
LeVar Burton is a classic example of the “sour grapes” fable… on his best day he was a five out of a 10 compared to the other guest hosts and even with all the shameless self promotion and campaigning including endless banter on social media he obviously did not merit the job… So after scores of social media biased articles, he said he didn’t really want the job????? If you look up disingenuous in the dictionary there is a picture of LeVar Burton for the definition.
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R
Kinda like trumps sorry ass
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R
Of course he doesn’t want it anymore, they didn’t want him. I don’t think he did such a great job anyway.
16 6
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R
He stunk as a host. Liked him in rr though!
12 3
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G
Good. Don't go away mad, just go away.
20 13
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R
My exact thoughts on trumps dumdas! What freaking loser trump is!
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O
Good. He’s great in general, but was awful at Jeopardy.
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G
He was a bad host....... Nuff said.... Just go away .........
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G
Congrats LeVar. Do YOUR Thing. You Have So Much To Offer. Keep It Moving. You Made The Best Decision
We Know!
6 3
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O
Dissatisfied because his black privilege didn't get him where he thought he should be.
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C
Exactly. One more example of wanting to co-opt something they didn't earn.
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T
Who WOULD want the job now?
Jeopardy fans that don't want you as host will get you cancelled by the Twitter mob.
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R
You did not do a good job hosting.
Plus they are not ready for a black man to host that white, conservative show. You can’t have what you want. Get over it.
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O
Hard disagree. There’s not a huge amount over overlap between being smart enough to enjoy Jeopardy and dumb enough to be an outright racist. And Bill Whitaker, Sanjay Gupta, and Robin Roberts — none of them white — all were really good and would have been fine. Burton just stunk at it.
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O
Class act.
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R
I would support LaVar in any tv roll. Love his vocal style and he would be great in radio, too!
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G
No, he wasn't a bad host, he just wanted a role that was dignified and educational. Jeopardy! was the best option at the time, but not the best FOR HIM. Now the opportunities are specifically tailored to HIS skills. Good luck Mr. Burton!
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