It’s happening.
After a rowdy social media push to put Reading Rainbow and Star Trek star LeVar Burton on the Jeopardy stage! The actor has been announced as part of the final group of guest hosts to wrap up the show. 37th season after the death of beloved “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek last November.
“Our goal was to present a wide variety of guest hosts with different skills and backgrounds on the way to finding a permanent host,” said “Jeopardy!” executive producer Mike Richards. “Our passionate fans tell us what they like and we listen. All guest hosts have brought individualism, energy and an authentic love for our show into each of their episodes. We look forward to sharing with our viewers for the rest of the season. “
In the minds of many fans, Burton is at the forefront of stepping into the role of Trebek, with a Change.org petition collecting more than 246,000 signatures. In addition to being known for hosting and executive producing PBS ‘”Reading Rainbow” and starring as Lt. Commander Geordi LaForge in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and Kunta Kinte in “Roots”, Burton has won 13 Emmys, a George Foster Peabody and a Grammy. He currently hosts his own podcast, “LeVar Burton Reads.”
Also on tap for guest hosts are “Good Morning America” and “This Week With George Stephanopoulos” anchor George Stephanopoulos, fellow “GMA” anchor Robin Roberts, CNBC “Squawk on the Street” co-anchor and former “Celebrity Jeopardy. ! ” champion David Faber and three-time National Sportscaster of the Year winner sports reporter Joe Buck, who is known for covering NFL and MLB games on Fox. As part of each guest host’s performance, a charity of their choice will receive a donation.
“Danger!” GOAT Ken Jennings was the first to guest host the series this season, followed by a lineup featuring Katie Couric, Bill Whitaker, Mayim Bialik, Dr. Oz, Savannah Guthrie, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Aaron Rodgers. “Danger!” all-star Buzzy Cohen will host the show’s Tournament of Champions in May.