LeVar Burton Reacts After Being Announced as Newest ‘Jeopardy!’ Guest Host

LeVar Burton has been announced as an upcoming Jeopardy! guest host and the former Star Trek star took to Twitter to react to the news. In a post on Wednesday afternoon, Burton thanked all his fans for so fervently fighting to see him as an interim host of the iconic quiz show. He expressed that he is very “excited, and eager,” for the big opportunity and vowed to do his “best to live up to your faith in me.”

Interestingly, Burton has been vying for the job since 2018, once tweeting, “I’ve made it very clear… when Alex Trebek retires in two years, I want that job.” Sadly, Trebek died in November, after a battle with pancreatic cancer, leading the show to hire a series of guest hosts to handle the remainder of Season 37. Among them were Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Burton again began making it clear that he wanted a shot at the job. At one point, he even shared a tweet linking to a fan-fueled petition calling for Jeopardy! producers to hire him. “Leaving this here in the event the powers that be are listening,” he added in his retweet. Notably, Burton’s name remained absent from the guest host lists, until now. According to a statement from Jeopardy!, Burton will host the week of July 26 through July 30.

Another upcoming Jeopardy! guest is neuroscientist, and former Big Bang Theory star, Mayim Bialik, who spoke exclusively with PopCulture about her time behind the iconic lectern and how it felt to stand on the legendary game show stage. “It was literally not believable,” Bialik said. “That’s what the word unbelievable is for.”

The actress said, “My brain really works the way Jeopardy! brain needs to work. You have to really think fast and think on your feet.” She added that she remained focused on the “legacy” that Trebek left behind due to being such a “beloved personality” and “a beloved person on that stage.” Bialik finally added, “So, it’s something I did with tremendous humility and respect for him and I had an unbelievable time.”