Legendary screen actor LeVar Burton is going to make a celebrity guest appearance as the host of “Jeopardy!” in the very near future, thanks to a nationwide petition circulated on his behalf.
Burton, 64, will be one of several well-known celebs who man the show to close out its 37th season, including iconic “Good Morning America” and former ESPN anchor Robin Roberts.
In fact, the petition, which has garnered more than 240,000 signatures, is asking that Burton permanently replace the incomparable Alex Trebek, who passed away from stage 4 pancreatic cancer in November 2020. Trebek hosted “Jeopardy!” from 1984 to 2020.
Burton is geeked about the opportunity and grateful for the fans who are supporting his bid to become the “Jeopardy!” host. This is right in his veritable wheelhouse as an intellectual and critically acclaimed thespian.
THANK YOU… to all y’all for your passionate support! I am overjoyed, excited, and eager to be guest-hosting Jeopardy!, and will do my utmost best to live up to your faith you in me. YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE! Go ahead and take my word for it, this time. https://t.co/C7mZWMok2X
— LeVar Burton (@levarburton) April 21, 2021
Special shout-out to Joshua Sanders who started the petition!#Jeopardy
— LeVar Burton (@levarburton) April 21, 2021
Burton was not shy about seeing himself as the optimum choice to take the reigns from Trebek as he explained to USA Today.
Speaking on the newspaper’s “The Mothership Podcast,” Burton said, “This is something that I really think is a good idea. I think it’s a good fit of what the show is, what the show requires and what I feel like I bring to the table,” adding that he’d do “justice to the legacy of Alex.”
Flip the page to learn five things about the beloved actor.
