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LeVar Burton ADMITS he doesn't want to be the host for Jeopardy: 'It wasn’t the thing that I wanted after all'
LeVar Burton is retiring from his quest to become the next "Jeopardy!" host. Scroll to know more.
LeVar Burton is quite OK with not becoming the next host of Jeopardy! As per PEOPLE, during an interview on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on Thursday, Burton discussed his original ambition to become the next host of the famous game show after Alex Trebek's death in November 2020 and the support he got from fans after expressing his interest.
"We did a Kickstarter several years ago and I discovered then that the generation of adults who grew up on Reading Rainbow, they were down with whatever it is I wanted to do. And the same is true with this Jeopardy! thing," Burton, 64, said. "I made it public that I wanted it for myself, that it made sense to me. And they were all about it. It made as much sense to them as it did to me. So they wanted it for me as much as I wanted it."
However, Burton, on the other hand, was not chosen for the job. Mike Richards, the producer of Jeopardy!, was appointed the new permanent host last month before stepping down after a series of controversies. Interestingly, Mayim Bialik and Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings will now share hosting responsibilities for the rest of the game show's 38th season.
Meanwhile, Burton said that he has accepted the reality that the hosting job was not intended for him and is looking forward to other possibilities. "The crazy thing is is that when you set your sights on something, 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," he said. "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. Well, what's next?'" He continued, "The opportunities that have come my way as a result of not getting that gig, I couldn't have dreamt it up. I couldn't 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!?' " However, Burton, also hinted at another possible TV opportunity, telling Noah, "We're trying to figure out what the right game show for LeVar Burton would be."
ALSO READ: LeVar Burton RESPONDS to claims of Mike Richards becoming host of Jeopardy
