Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

LeVar Burton to be 'Jeopardy!' guest host; petition credited

The 200,000-plus LeVar Burton boosters who signed a petition calling for him to be the new “Jeopardy!”

Via AP news wire
Wednesday 21 April 2021 16:46 EDT
TV-Jeopardy-LeVar Burton
TV-Jeopardy-LeVar Burton (2019 Invision)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The 200,000-plus LeVar Burton boosters who signed a petition calling for him to be the new “Jeopardy!” host will get to see him try the job on for size.

Burton is among the final group of guest hosts for the quiz show, which lost its longtime host Alex Trebek to cancer last November and has put off announcing his successor.

Burton's supporters seized the opportunity to launch an online petition for the actor, who starred on “Star Trek: The Next Generation" and “Roots,” and was the host of “Reading Rainbow,” the children's educational program.

In his career, Burton has “inspired and shaped the minds of several generations of trivia-loving nerds,” according to the petition that, as of Wednesday, had 246,000 and counting signers.

In an email, a spokeswoman for Burton said he believes the petition drive and his social media interactions with fans were factors in the invitation for him to be a guest host.

There was no immediate reply to a request for comment from producer Sony Pictures Television.

TV anchors and journalists George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts of ABC and David Faber of CNBC and sportscaster Joe Buck are the other temp hosts getting one-week stints, Sony said Wednesday. The air dates weren't announced.

___

Online:

https://www.change.org/p/sony-pictures-entertainment-levar-burton-should-be-the-next-host-of-jeopardy

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in