LeVar Burton takes on The View; talks Star Trek: Picard, Dr. Seuss and of course Jeopardy!
Whoopi Goldberg quizzes LeVar Burton about Star Trek: Picard on The View
APRIL 26, 2021 - Former Star Trek star and current Jeopardy! host hopeful LeVar Burton has given a new interview with The View, in which he hit all the big topics, including his Jeopardy! Campaign, whether he’ll be in Star Trek: Picard season two, and what he thinks of “cancel culture”.
Burton’s interview appeared on Monday’s episode of The View. Starting the segment with a series of questions from fellow Star Trek alum Whoopi Goldberg, they led straight off with talk of Jeopardy! The fan petition supporting him as host has garnered more than 250,000 signatures, something Goldberg called “extraordinary”. To that, Burton replied, “It’s such a wonderful feeling to be at the center of that much grace.”
Host Joy Behar also wanted to talk Jeopardy! and asked Burton straight up whether he was throwing his hat into the ring. Burton noted that as far back as 2013, he’d publicly stated his desire to take over the job from former host Alex Trebek once he retired. “But more than anything,” he said, “I am eager to put my skills up against those of anyone else in contention and then let the chips fall where they may. The important thing for me is that I have an opportunity to compete for the job and that’s all I ever really wanted.”
Turning to topics of a political nature, later in the interview host Meghan McCain asked Burton what he thought of “cancel culture”, particularly as it pertains to the Dr. Seuss estate deciding to stop printing six of their titles due to racist themes. As a children’s literacy advocate, Burton handled the question well, reminding McCain that Dr. Seuss’s legacy for children’s education is overwhelmingly positive. He then clarified that he sees the term “cancel culture” as a misnomer. “I think we have a ‘consequence culture’,” he said, “and that consequences are finally encompassing everybody in the society [...] I think it has everything to do with a new awareness on people who were simply unaware of the real nature of life in this country, for people who have been othered since this nation began.”
Of course, no interview with a former Star Trek: The Next Generation star could go by without asking the big question: will he be making an appearance in Star Trek: Picard? Burton told Goldberg coyly, when she asked, “I can say unequivocally that I am not doing season two of Picard.” When pressed for more details, he only concluded, “Well, there’s the thing. I believe it reasonable, in fact practical, to assume that Picard still knows these people. I think we might see some more of his friends. At least I hope we do, before this is all over.”
LeVar Burton is due to guest host Jeopardy! This July 26th - 30th. For more information on that appearance, including how to watch, visit jeopardy.com. And to catch up on the latest season of Star Trek: Picard, head to Paramount+.
