Ever since Alex Trebek passed away from his battle with cancer in 2020, Jeopardy! has never quite been the same. After 37 years of Trebek being the host to the game show, it’s certainly no easy task to replace him. His calm demeanor, his subtle sarcastic comments…he was the best host for the show.
That’s why producers aren’t trying to replace him, per se. Instead, the game show has had its fair share of guest hosts to play the role for a short period of time instead—everyone from Dr. Oz to Ken Jennings and Mayim Balik and more.
While everyone who has been a guest host has done a great job in reading questions and speaking with the candidates, there’s one person fans thought would be absolutely perfect for the job: Levar Burton.
If Burton’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he was the host of the children’s show “Reading Rainbow,” which ran for 21 seasons in the 80s, 90s and even early 2000s on PBS Kids. Each episode focused on a single a topic from a different children’s book.
(And now if you can’t stop singing “Take a look, it’s in a book, reading rainbooooow,” we’re very sorry.)
Anyway, over 248,000 fans signed a Change.org petition in hopes of getting Burton to host Jeopardy! And their wish was the show’s command: Burton was granted a rang of episodes to host.
Not only do fans want Burton to be the host, but Burton himself has wanted this for a long time. In fact, he’s been watching Jeopardy! since he was just a kid in elementary school, and even was on the show himself back in the day.
“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,” he posted on his Twitter after sharing the great news.
If you’ve watched Jeopardy! over the last few days, you know Burton is killing it as a guest host (his episodes are airing from July 26, 2021, through July 30, 2021). With just a short amount of time, fans know that it’s true: Burton is a dream host. And fans are calling to take the guest role a bit further and make him a permanent host.
Sounds like a dream come true for Burton! Let’s hear what he has to say in a Good Morning America interview (plus see a few snippets from him hosting Jeopardy!).
Do you think Levar Burton should be the permanent replacement for Alex Trebek? Who do you think has been the best guest host so far?