Dick Van Dyke Wants LeVar Burton To Host Jeopardy

Since the late, great Alex Trebek passed away last year, Jeopardy has been allowing various celebrities to host the iconic game show. These short-term hosting gigs serve two purposes: they fill gaps, and they provide auditions.
Famous Jeopardy champion and Twitter comedian Ken Jennings, future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, even controversial celebrity doctor Dr. Oz have all taken turns guest-hosting as the producers of the show consider Trebek‘s permanent replacement.
One name that won’t go away is beloved TV personality LeVar Burton. famous for Roots, Reading Rainbow, and Star Trek: The Next Generation, Burton is a beloved star who is openly campaigning for the role. There is a petition on Change.org asking for signatures in support of Burton as the host.
And now he’s getting some famous support!
TV legend Dick Van Dyke tweeted out the petition, making it clear that he wants to see LeVar Burton hosting the long-running TV show.
Sony Pictures Entertainment: LeVar Burton should be the next host of Jeopardy! – Sign the Petition! https://t.co/h5ZuPZGICL via @Change
— Dick Van Dyke (@iammrvandy) April 7, 2021
And Late Night host Stephen Colbert agrees, although he has slightly different ideas for the format of the show:
I think LeVar Burton should host Jeopardy! As Geordi La Forge. And the buzzers should be phasers. And Data should be the judge. And it should be in space. And just be Star Trek.
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) April 7, 2021
Nearly 200,000 people, including Colbert and Dick and Arlene Van Dyke, have signed the petition, which lists Burton’s bonafides as a TV personality: “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 role 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. 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!”
There is no indication yet that Sony has seen the petition or is paying any attention to it, and no decision is forthcoming. Aaron Rodgers is currently hosting – and getting roasted by contestants, and Anderson Cooper and Mayim Bialik are set to host soon.