LeVar Burton has landed a job for himself as a game show host…and no it is not “Jeopardy!”
On Nov. 16, it was been confirmed that Burton has accepted a role to be the host of a knowledge-based game show called “Trivial Pursuit.” Global entertainment company Hasbro not only owns the rights to the game, but it will also executive produce the game. Entertainment One or eOne will produce it, while Burton will get credit as executive producer via his LeVar Burton Entertainment company.
“Trivial Pursuit is one of the best-known brands in the gaming universe,” said “The Reading Rainbow” star. “I am thrilled to have partnered with Hasbro and eOne to bring this beloved game to market as a premium show for television.”
Tara Long, another executive producer of the show and president of Global Unscripted Television at eOne, had this to say regarding the partnership with Burton: “LeVar Burton has been an iconic member of American pop culture for decades from Roots to Reading Rainbow to Star Trek and beyond.”
She added that, “His love for intellectual curiosity paired with his ability to connect with audiences worldwide make him the perfect partner to bring Hasbro’s beloved trivia game to households in a new and exciting way.”
This opportunity is almost like a full-circle moment since it was last year that fans started petitioning for him to be the next “Jeopardy!” host after the death of long-time show host Alex Trebek. Burton made his interest be known and by April he was guest hosting a few of the program’s episodes along with several other celebrities.
However, when it was time for show executives to come to their final judge pick, the game show opted to go with two hosts: its then executive producer, Mike Richards, and actress Mayim Bialik. Fans were not happy with Richards being the pick at all and soon after his past transgressions began to resurface, leading him to get fired as the host and eventually as the executive producer as well.
About three months later, a fan tweeted, “I still very much like @levarburton but out of all the recent hosts I think @Jeopardy looks great with @KenJennings hosting.” Burton caught wind of this tweet and made an interesting response saying, “You can keep my name out of @jeopardy!”
He later got into a back-and-forth discussion on Twitter with journalist Stephen Battaglio, who insisted that Burton was bluffing and would take the job if offered. In one part of his response, Burton said, “I have an perspective on this entire J! saga which I intend to share at the time of my choosing, probably my memoirs.”
Fans congratulated Burton on the announcement.
“Uncle LeVar said, “Jeopardy who? I don’t know her.”
“When one door closes a Bigger and Better one Opens.”
No date has been released yet for the debut of “Trivial Pursuit,” but be on the lookout for future ABS stories to get more information.
More Stories from Our Related Partners:
