LeVar Burton Has a Message To All His Fans Who Are Still Upset That He Didn't Get Jeopardy
Actor LeVar Burton is known for many things, from Kunta Kinte to Reading Rainbow and beyond - and now, he's also gearing up to take up the mantle of game show host, though not the game show his fans were hoping for.
Burton is slated to be the host of a new game show based on the popular party game Trivial Pursuit, no doubt a reaction to all the backlash tied to him not becoming the next host of Jeopardy! The show tried him out as an interim host after the death of original host, the incomparable Alex Trebek, but felt that he wasn't a good fit for the show, and decided to go with longtime producer Ken Jennings instead.
Burton had stated publicly on his Twitter account that he wanted the role of host, but now that he has found something else, he wants to reassure fans that they don't need to be upset about the choice Jeopardy! went with. As he told Rolling Stone on Friday:
"When I didn't get the job, there was a lot of unnecessary concern that I was devastated, when in fact I wasn't. I was disappointed, but I wasn't devastated.
"I felt the love. I can hardly speak about the experience. It was overwhelming, and it came from all quarters of the fandom. People who are casual fans reached out and said, "This makes so much sense. You were done dirty." In the midst of all of that, one of the best things to come out of it was the love."
So fans don't need to worry about LeVar Burton's feelings on Jeopardy!, because he's doing just fine - and he thanks fans for their fervor in supporting him, as it ultimately brought about a comeback that his career might not have seen otherwise.
"Out of the entire experience, I learned that everything does always work out for the best. The opportunities that I'm looking at right now would have never come to me had I gotten that gig."
It's unclear as of now when exactly you can see LeVar Burton host Trivial Pursuit - or where, as they haven't locked down a network yet - but you can be sure Burton is working hard on it. On top of hosting, he's also taken on the role of Executive Producer for the show.
