“Jeopardy!” fans cried out, and the show listened: “Reading Rainbow” star LeVar Burton will finally get a chance to guest host “Jeopardy!”
On Wednesday, the quiz show announced its final group of guest hosts who will help carry the show through its 37th season. In addition to Burton, the lineup includes “Good Morning America” anchors George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts, journalist David Faber and sportscaster Joe Buck, according to a news release sent to the Deseret News.
The news that Burton in particular would get a turn hosting “Jeopardy!” satisfied many fans — earlier this month, a petition to make the actor the host climbed to more than 142,000 signatures, the Deseret News reported.
“THANK YOU ... to all y’all for your passionate support!” Burton tweeted on Wednesday. “I am overjoyed, excited, and eager to be guest-hosting Jeopardy!, and will do my utmost best to live up to your faith you in me. YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE!”
Burton has been vocal about wanting to host “Jeopardy!” In September 2020 — just a couple of months before Trebek’s death — the actor tweeted about his interest in hosting the beloved quiz show, the Deseret News reported.
“Not gonna lie, I feel like I’ve been preparing my whole life to occupy the Jeopardy host podium when Alex retires,” Burton wrote at the time.
Currently, Anderson Cooper is hosting “Jeopardy!” for a two-week stint that will end on April 30. Cooper marks the show’s sixth guest host since Alex Trebek’s death in November 2020.
As of Wednesday, “Jeopardy!” has outlined its schedule through late June. According to the show’s website, viewers can expect the following schedule:
- May 3-14 — Bill Whitaker
- May 17-28 — the “Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions,” hosted by former “Jeopardy!” star Buzzy Cohen
- May 31-June 11 — Mayim Bialik
- June 14-25 — Savannah Guthrie
“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,” Mike Richards, the executive producer of “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” said in a statement on Wednesday. “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.”