LeVar Burton says not getting ‘Jeopardy!’ job was ‘humiliating’: ‘The fix was in’
The 'Reading Rainbow' emcee was a guest host on the game show after Alex Trebek's death
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}LeVar Burton is still holding resentment for not getting the "Jeopardy!" hosting job.
The 65 year old was a guest on "In the Loop" and shared how losing the permanent hosting position left him "not just disappointed, but wrecked."
After longtime host Alec Trebek died of pancreatic cancer in 2020, several candidates were in the running to take over the coveted position. Mayim Bialik, Ken Jennings and Mike Richards were a few.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}LeVar Burton is still holding on to resentment regarding the hosting job of "Jeopardy!" going to someone else. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
"Experiencing a very public defeat — humiliation, if you will — was sobering. And what I learned from the experience, really, is that it reinforced my belief that everything happens for a reason, even if you cannot discern the reason in the moment," Burton shared.
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Although the former "Star Trek: The Next Generation" star was not given the hosting gig, he was able to be a guest-host for an episode that aired in 2021.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"In the fullness of time, everything will be revealed. And like I said, it was I think in that first week of feeling really sort of not just disappointed, but wrecked," Burton continued. "I didn’t expect that I would not be their choice for host."
Even with this setback, Burton decided to not give up on his dream on becoming a game-show host. He revealed that he will be the creator and host of a new game show inspired by Hasbro’s "Trivial Pursuit."
LeVar Burton was able to be a guest host of an episode of "Jeopardy!" in 2021. (Sony Entertainment)
"The doors have been opened. Windows have been opened. The phone hasn’t stopped ringing, and I never would have experienced those things that I’m experiencing, like hosting the Scripps Spelling Bee, had I gotten that job," Burton shared.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He added: "So I think it was a big lesson for me and just being willing to sit in the discomfort long enough to find out what was really supposed to happen for me around this game show thing."
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Burton went on to share how much of a fan he was of "Jeopardy!" and claimed he would’ve been the perfect person to take on the role.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The truth is it was my favorite game show. It really was. I mean, I watched that show since I was in the third grade and Art Fleming was the host," Burton explained. "And I honestly thought that I was well-suited for it. As it turns out, it really wasn’t a competition, after all — the fix was in."
LeVar Burton shared he plans on creating and hosting a game show inspired by Hasbro’s "Trivial Pursuit." (Ian Tuttle/Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize )
He shared that he learned valuable lessons by going through this adversity.
"I believe I’m still mining some of the takeaways from that experience," he said. "First and foremost, I’m a firm believer in betting on myself, and I would encourage anyone and everyone out there to believe similarly in themselves," he said. "I’m always going to bet on me."
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In the current season of "Jeopardy!" Bialik and Jennings have switched off hosting various episodes after Richards was fired from the game show in August 2021. He had made inappropriate jokes regarding women on a podcast episode.
On May 10, Jennings revealed he would be stepping back from the hosting position and will let Bialik resume the full-time responsibility.