LeVar Burton says the Jeopardy! hosting job 'wasn't the thing that I wanted after all'
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This beloved former Reading Rainbow host was passed over by Jeopardy!, but he feels he's where he was "meant to be all along." Who is ... LeVar Burton?
Burton opened up on The Daily Show about not being selected as the next host of Jeopardy! after fans pushed for his hiring and after he served as a guest host in July. The Star Trek: The Next Generation star had been vocal about his interest in the job, but during his conversation with Trevor Noah, he seemed at peace with the fact that the show went another way.
"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?'"
Burton explained that he "couldn't have dreamt" of the "opportunities that have come my way as a result of not getting that gig," and Noah compared this to "the shipwreck that leads you to the magical island." Burton told him, "That's right. ... The island was where you were meant to be all along."
Jeopardy! in August hired then-executive producer Mike Richards as its new permanent daily host, only for him to step down due to offensive past podcast comments. The job is now once again open, though Jeopardy! on Thursday announced that The Big Bang Theory actress Mayim Bialik and former champion Ken Jennings will host for the rest of 2021, and TMZ reported that Sony has "already decided" against hiring Burton. Still, Burton revealed on The Daily Show he's looking into potentially hosting another game show, telling Noah, "We're trying to figure out what the right game show for LeVar Burton would be."
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