Jeopardy!'s decision to name Mike Richards as the show’s host instead of LeVar Burton was met with disappointment from many viewers. Of course, the game show's choice ultimately didn't work out so well. Some fans saw this as the perfect opportunity for Burton to re-insert himself into the hosting search. However, even that window seemingly closed, as Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings were announced as the hosts for the rest of 2021. Nevertheless, the Star Trek alum isn't too worried about being asked back to host the iconic game show and recently provided some insight into the A+ goal he has now that his hosting hopes have been dashed.
As a television icon, LeVar Burton hasn’t been one to rest on his laurels, so the fact that he has a Plan B in mind shouldn't come as much of a surprise. The Reading Rainbow host said about bouncing back from losing the Jeopardy! gig:
We are working on creating exactly what that is. I never thought about hosting any other game show outside of Jeopardy!. But now, having – 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.
Apparently, LeVar Burton doesn't feel he Jeopardy! to make his game show dreams come true. It honestly still has to sting just a bit knowing that he won't be able standing at the podium once occupied by Alex Trebek. But at the very least, his Jeopardy! experience inspired him to be proactive. And you can bet that fans will be looking forward to seeing the Roots star hosting again.
But of course, it isn't lost on LeVar Burton that he's had a plethora of fan support. Burton revealed on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah that they pushed him to pursue the Jeopardy! gig. The actor said about viewers getting him to the podium:
The same was true about this Jeopardy! thing. I made it public that I wanted it for myself, that it made sense to me, and they were all about it. Well… it made as much sense to them as it did to me. So, they wanted it for me as much as I wanted it.
But as the old story goes, everything that glitters isn’t gold, which is what LeVar Burton learned while filming while his Jeopardy! episodes. Burton spoke on the realization he came to after completing his time on the iconic stage:
The crazy thing is that when you set your sights on something, you know, they say be careful 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, okay what’s next?
Thankfully, LeVar Burton wasn’t as sad about losing the gig as viewers were, as he knew hosting Jeopardy! wasn’t for him. If you want to see more of Burton's conversation with Trevor Noah, check it out in its entirety down below:
Rest assured, TV viewers, you have not seen the last of LeVar Burton. Hopefully, things work out for his new project and we'll get a more official update on it soon.
