In the search for a permanent Jeopardy! host, no candidate had the massive backing of LeVar Burton. The former Star Trek: The Next Generation star and Reading Rainbow host was a fan favorite to take the place of the legendary Alex Trebek after his tragic passing, garnering nearly 300,000 signatures on a Change.org petition. In what will be a disappointing turn for fans, however, Burton has decided not to pursue the permanent hosting role on the long-running game show.
While appearing on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Burton was asked about all the fan support he received in his campaign to take the mantle. He was extremely grateful for all the passion fans had shown in making something he wanted to do happen. In running his Reading Rainbow Kickstarter a few years back, he realized the love fans had for his work and that inevitably transferred over to his stint as a Jeopardy! host.
Upon finally hosting the show - and being roped into the Mike Richards debacle - he realized that it wasn't the permanent gig for him, however. He explained in the interview:
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. What I wanted was to compete. I mean, I wanted the job, right, but then, when I didn't get it, it was, like, well, okay, what's next? And, so, the opportunities that have come my way as a result of not getting that gig, I couldn't have dreamt it up. If you had given me a pen and paper and said, well, so what do you want this to really look like? If it doesn't include Jeopardy! I wouldn't have been this generous to myself.
While fans will surely be disappointed that Burton, who truly felt like the perfect host for a show like Jeopardy!, is ending his quest to take the podium, he's now looking for new projects and the "right game show" for him. Trevor Noah even floated the idea of Burton hosting his own game show, something Burton was mulling over himself. He went on about finding that perfect opportunity:
I never thought about hosting any other game show outside of Jeopardy! But now, they went in a different direction with their show, which is their right, and 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.
As of now, Jeopardy! is still without a permanent host and is temporarily being run by Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings through the rest of 2021. According to a report from TMZ, Burton was never a serious candidate in Sony's eyes for the role, but they did consider him for "other projects outside of Jeopardy!" Whatever Burton decides to do though, fans will surely follow.