Yahoo Finance LeVar Burton Says He's Given Up His Dream Of Becoming 'Jeopardy!' Host
One person who isn’t hoping LeVar Burton will step in as “Jeopardy!” host following the game show’s most recent shake-up is Burton himself.
Appearing on “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” this week, Burton said he’s given up on taking over as the permanent host of “Jeopardy!” ― a position he once described as his “dream job.”
“The crazy thing is that when you set your sights on something, you know, they say be careful of what you wish for, because what I found out is that it wasn’t the thing that I wanted after all,” the actor and “Reading Rainbow” host explained Thursday. “What I wanted was to compete. I mean, I wanted the job, but then when I didn’t get it, it was like, ‘Well, OK, what’s next?’”
Burton was among several stars to guest-host “Jeopardy!” this summer as producers sought a replacement for Alex Trebek, who died last year. Though Burton’s weeklong July stint on the show drew support from viewers, the job eventually went to Mike Richards.
That appointment, however, was short-lived. In August, “Jeopardy!” producers confirmed Richards had stepped down amid a slew of controversies, including discrimination lawsuits from his time as executive producer of “The Price Is Right” and a history of sexist remarks made on his podcast.
This week, it was announced that Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings would serve as “Jeopardy!” hosts through the end of the year.
Elsewhere in his interview with Noah, Burton expressed his gratitude for new opportunities that have come his way after missing out on the gig. Though he was short on specifics, he suggested fans of his “Jeopardy!” appearances would enjoy his forthcoming projects.
“They went in a different direction with their show, which is their right,” he said. “Now I’m thinking, ‘Well, it does kind of make sense. Let me see what I can do.’ So we’re trying to figure out what the right game show for LeVar Burton would be.”
Catch LeVar Burton’s interview with Trevor Noah below.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
