*LeVar Burton begins his stint as a “Jeopardy!” guest host today, Monday, July 26.
Fans of the former “Reading Rainbow” star launched an online campaign calling on producers to hire Burton to take over following the death of longtime host Alex Trebek.
Back in November, Burton fans created a Change.org petition asking ABC to hire him as the new host of the network’s beloved game show.
“Between hosting 21 seasons of the educational Reading Rainbow, playing the brainiac engineer Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: the Next Generation, and filling the roll of Kunta Kinte in the ever important mini-series Roots, LeVar Burton has inspired and shaped the minds of several generations of trivia-loving nerds,” the petition states.
READ MORE: LeVar Burton Admits ‘It Will Hurt’ If ABC Doesn’t Hire Him to Host Jeopardy!
Truth… #bydhttmwfi https://t.co/IytHQ9lzru
— LeVar Burton (@levarburton) July 26, 2021
The petition continues, “This petition is to show Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and producers Mike Richards and Harry Friedman just how much love the public has for Burton, and how much we’d all love to see him as the next host of Jeopardy!”
Following a passionate social media campaign, Burton was announced as part of the show’s final lineup of guest hosts in April. The slew of guest hosts for the 37th season included Aaron Rodgers, Robin Roberts, Mayim Bialik and Anderson Cooper.
“Our goal has been to present a wide variety of guest hosts with different skill sets and backgrounds on our path to finding a permanent host,” said “Jeopardy!” executive producer Mike Richards when announcing Burton as a guest host. “Our passionate fans are telling us what they like, and we are listening. All of the guest hosts have brought individualism, energy and an authentic love of our show to each of their episodes. We look forward to sharing the rest of the season with our viewers.”
Burton will host “Jeopardy!” from July 26 to 30.
He recently opened up to The New York Times about his push to turn the guest hosting into a full-time gig.
“It will hurt. I’m not going to lie,” Burton told the publication. “But if that happens, I will get over it. I will be fine. Remember: Everything happens perfectly and for a reason. That is my default. It’s all going to be OK. Because it always is.”
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