‘Jeopardy!’ Announces LeVar Burton As A Guest Host After Petition Garnered Nearly 250,000 Signatures

When beloved game show host Alex Trebek lost his battle with cancer in 2020, the executive producers of the show “Jeopardy!” knew they would have to find a replacement host. Before deciding on an official host, the show decided to audition multiple hosts by letting them guest host the show for a couple weeks each.

The first guest host was former “Jeopardy!” contestant and Greatest of All Time winner Ken Jennings. Since he hosted, other famous faces took turns behind the podium, but one person who really, really wanted a chance to host the show was overlooked by the show’s producers.

LeVar Burton has wanted to host “Jeopardy!” for a long time. He has been a fan of the show since he was in elementary school, and he thinks he is the perfect candidate to replace Trebek. The problem is, the show didn’t have him scheduled to host any episodes.

Burton was vocal about his desire to host “Jeopardy!” and so were his fans. In fact, over 248,000 fans signed a Change.org petition in hopes of getting the attention of Sony Pictures Entertainment and executive producers of “Jeopardy!”, Mike Richards (who filled in as a guest host) and Harry Friedman.

If you’ve ever wondered if an internet petition really works, here’s proof that it can. It really can. “Jeopardy!” has announced the final guest hosts of the show, and Burton made the list! He shared the happy news on Twitter.

Learn more about Burton and the power of an internet petition in the video below.

Burton’s episodes of “Jeopardy!” are set to air from July 26, 2021, through July 30, 2021. Burton is obviously excited about his dream becoming a reality and so are his fans. In fact, some fans are planning on watched “Jeopardy!” for the very first time.

The other newly announced guest hosts of “Jeopardy!” include Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, David Faber, and Joe Buck. Previously announced hosts include Ken Jennings, Mike Richards, Katie Couric, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Aaron Rodgers, Anderson Cooper, Bill Whitaker, Buzzy Cohen, Mayim Bialik, Savannah Guthrie, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Who do you think will officially replace Trebek? Does it surprise you that an internet petition influenced “Jeopardy!” producers to choose Burton as a guest host?