‘Jeopardy!’ fan and eventual guest host, LeVar Burton has declared he is going to be happy no matter who wins the permanent hosting gig.
Rumors have been stirred up by a report in Variety that Executive Producer and onetime guest host, Mike Richards is in “advanced negotiations with Sony Pictures Television” to take over the hosting role from the late Alex Trebek permanently.
Burton, who declared his desire to both guest host and take on the permanent role garnered so much backing from fans that Sony granted the Reading Rainbow star a guest host run.
A Change.org petition, seeking to make the 64 year old the next Jeopardy! host garnered more than 260,000 signatures with legendary actor Dick Van Dyke showing his support with the campaign.
Jeopardy! Guest Host LeVar Burton Reacts To News That A Permanent Host Has Been Found
In April, Burton spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the support he was receiving, saying, “It feels like, ‘Wow, they really are behind me. They want this for me as much as I want it for me, I believe, because it makes so much sense to them too.”
While Burton received favorable reviews for his appearance that ran for the last week of July, it looks as though he is not being considered for the permanent gig behind the podium.
However, Burton is no “sore loser” with the actor/host tweeting: “I have said many times over these past weeks that no matter the outcome, I’ve won. The outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and fans alike has been incredible! If love is the ultimate blessing and I believe that it is, I am truly blessed beyond measure.”
Burton’s graceful bow out comes after publicly admitting “it will hurt” if he was not considered for the permanent Jeopardy! host position. He even went as far as to tell The New York Times he felt like becoming the full-time host of Jeopardy! is something he feels he’s “supposed to do.”
Though Variety’s report earlier this week seemed to tap Richards as the man to step into Trebek’s huge shoes, a spokesperson for Sony did say other candidates are still in the running.
We will still have to wait to see.
In the meantime, watch Jeopardy! when it airs weeknights on NBC.
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