LeVar Burton Shares Emotional Family Memories Amid 'Jeopardy!' Debut

LeVar Burton isn't just looking to the future now that he's landed a highly coveted guest-hosting position on Jeopardy! The Reading Rainbow alum is also giving his fans a brief look into this past. On his latest episode of the LeVar Burton Reads podcast, Burton shared an emotional family memory after finishing his reading of The War of the Wall.

"When I was a kid, like 8,9,10, sometimes we would take the train from Sacramento to Kansas City where my grandparents lived. Now, my grandmother was the kindest, most compassionate, loving... I mean, I can see my grandmother in her printed flower dress, her stockings with her black sort of shoes with heels. Her stockings rolled down to below her calf," he said recalling his grandmother's typical outfits. "Her apron, her apron was always on because she was always in the kitchen. And those are things that I will never forget about those trips and I worshipped my grandmother. I don't think I've ever read a story that reminds me of that time in my life or people. I mean, the voices of the folks in this story.. I know these people. I know where they come from. I know what their hopes are. I know these people."

This week's story on the #LeVarBurtonReads podcast felt very personal, and I got to talk about some cherished family memories. It's by the great writer & activist #ToniCadeBambara. Listen to "The War of the Wall" and let me know what you think? https://t.co/g0AB9HZ8Dk

— LeVar Burton (@levarburton) July 27, 2021

The recent experience comes amid Burton's hosting stint on Jeopardy! and fans seem to be very into Burton's performance. Many congratulated the host on social media for doing such a good job, but it's no surprise that his fans are happy with Burton's new gig. Burton's followers launched a campaign urging producers of the game show to consider him for a temporary role. Even with all of the support that Burton received, the star admits he was still nervous to take on such a job. "This was a real challenge," he told AP News. "The pressure, the natural tendency was to want to live up to Alex's example, his legacy. I came backstage after taping the first episode and I said to [my wife] Stephanie, 'Well, how did I do?'" Burton continued, recalling his wife's reaction: "She said, 'Ehhh.'" He went on to share that his hosting experience was "really, really, really scary."