Fans petition for Star Trek and Reading Rainbow star LeVar Burton to take over as Jeopardy host after Alex Trebek’s death
"LeVar Burton" by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
NOVEMBER 16, 2020 - After Jeopardy host Alex Trebek passed away last week following his battle with pancreatic cancer, several names have been floated to take over as the new host for the popular game show. One of those names is Star Trek: The Next Generation actor LeVar Burton. ComicBook.com first brought us the news of a Change.org petition in support of Burton as the new host, and it certainly seems as though he would be interested in the position.
The description for the petition reads, “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. 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!”
What started out as a goal to reach 25,000 signatures has led to more than 85,000 at this time and hasn’t shown any sign of slowing. While Burton didn’t explicitly say whether or not he wants the job, he responded to the petition by sharing the link on Twitter and saying, “Even if nothing comes from it, I can’t tell [you how much] I appreciate all y’alls love and support!”
Even if nothing comes from it, I can’t tell how much how I appreciate all y’alls love and support! 🙏🏾♥️
— LeVar Burton (@levarburton) November 12, 2020
Petition · Make LeVar Burton the next host of Jeopardy! · https://t.co/60lC1WCD61 https://t.co/QFxedpuWpU
One signer's comment to the petition has gained more than 200 “likes” and reads, “For my entire life LeVar Burton has been a beacon of wisdom, literacy, and humanity. I can think of no better successor to the late Alex Trebek.”
If you’d like to add your name in support of the petition, simply head over to Change.org and search “LeVar Burton”.
Chris Peterson is a contributing writer for Daily Star Trek News on the Roddenberry Podcast Network. An outdoor enthusiast and a fan of film and literature, he is also an actor, singer and musician with stage credits including CATS, Fiddler on the Roof, The Rocky Horror Show and The Producers.
