![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="473" width="780" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
Since longtime “Jeopardy” host, Alex Trebek passed away in November of 2020, the hunt has been on for a new permanent host for the wildly popular trivia show. Several celebs have guest-hosted the show since Trebek’s last episode aired in December. Katie Couric, Dr. Oz, and Aaron Rodgers have guest-hosted so far. Anderson Cooper, Mayim Bialik, and Savannah Guthrie are just a few of the celebs slated to guest-host in the future.
However, “Jeopardy” will need a full-time host at some point, and Star Trek fans know exactly who they want to take Trebek’s spot.
Update: LeVar Will Guest Host!
On Wednesday, a tweet was posted to the official “Jeopardy” Twitter account announcing which celebrities will guest host for the rest of the season. The final name on the list was Burton’s. The team behind the iconic game show hasn’t yet announced who will take over as the permanent host of the show. So, the campaign to have Burton take over for good is far from over.
However, this announcement seems to suggest that “Jeopardy’s” producers are well aware of the popular opinion that Burton should take over.
The Petition for LeVar Burton to Host ‘Jeopardy’
Since Trebek died, fans of LeVar Burton have been campaigning for him to take over as “Jeopardy’s” host. About five months ago, a Change.org petition started circulating to rally support for Burton hosting the iconic game show. The creator of the petition, Joshua Sanders, eloquently outlined why he thought the Star Trek actor and longtime Reading Rainbow host would be perfect as “Jeopardy’s” permanent host.
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 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!”
Within three days of launching, the petition had over 20,000 signatures. It has been widely shared, especially on Twitter. Though calls for Burton to host the game show have been consistent since the position was vacated, they’ve exploded within the past few days.
On April 5th, Burton himself shared the Change.org petition on Twitter, indicating his support for the campaign on his behalf. After Burton’s tweet, scores of people started tweeting the petition as well as all the reasons why they wanted to see Burton behind Trebek’s podium.
On Wednesday, “LeVar Burton Jeopardy” was trending on Twitter, and several users pointed out that Twitter seemed to be united in their support for Burton taking over the hosting duties. As of Thursday morning, the Change.org petition had more than 200,000 signatures, surpassing its goal.
Celebrities Join the Campaign for Burton
Fans aren’t the only people who want to see Burton as “Jeopardy’s” permanent host. Celebrities from all sectors of the business have tweeted their support for Burton as well.
Burton’s Star Trek: The Next Generation costar Jonathan Frakes tweeted the petition on April 6th. Though Brent Spiner didn’t share the petition, he did make his support for Burton clear in a tweet posted the same day.
Fellow Star Trek alum Terry Farrell also tweeted the petition, while Kate Mulgrew tweeted her support without sharing the petition.
Patrick Stewart, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis and Michael Dorn — Burton’s other TNG costars — have yet to chime in on the subject.
On Wednesday, legendary actor Dick Van Dyke added his voice to the conversation by tweeting the petition. As of Thursday morning, that tweet was still the pinned tweet on Van Dyke’s profile and had over 20,000 likes.
Other celebs who’ve thrown their support behind Burton include Stephen Colbert, former “Jeopardy” winner Alex Schmidt, Community actress Yvette Nicole Brown, Big Brother star Spencer Clawson, Queen of the South actor Chris Greene, and The Big Bang Theory showrunner Bill Prady.
READ NEXT: What is LeVar Burton Up to These Days?
0 Comments