Who should be the next permanent Jeopardy! host? LeVar Burton is continuing to make his case.
The Reading Rainbow host and Star Trek actor will serve as a guest host of Jeopardy! next month after fans campaigned for him to get behind the lectern, and he's been open about the fact that he believes he should be picked as the late Alex Trebek's permanent successor. He spoke about that further in a new interview with The New York Times Magazine.
"It's difficult to explain, but there's something inside me that says this makes sense," Burton said. "I feel like this is what I'm supposed to do. I have been watching Jeopardy! more or less every night of my life since Art Fleming was host. Jeopardy! is a cultural touchstone, and for a Black man to occupy that podium is significant."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
When asked how tough it would be if the show ended up choosing someone else, Burton acknowledged, "It will hurt. I'm not going to lie. But if that happens, I will get over it. I will be fine. Remember: Everything happens perfectly and for a reason. That is my default. It's all going to be OK. Because it always is."
Burton certainly has plenty of support from fans, as a petition to make him the next host of Jeopardy has amassed over 250,000 signatures. His guest hosting stint is scheduled to begin on July 26, and with other frontrunners for the job including former champion Ken Jennings, it shouldn't be long before the long-awaited hire is made. For now, though, CNN's Sanjay Gupta is next in line to take over as host for two weeks beginning Monday.
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
