LeVar Burton has suggested that erstwhile Jeopardy! executive producer Mike Richards misled him about his desire to become the show's new host.
For much of Season 27 in 2021, Burton, 65, was among a number of stars who tried out to become the syndicated quiz show's new host, following the November 2020 death of long-time presenter Alex Trebek.
While Burton was a strong fan favorite going into his week-long stint, he saw the lowest ratings of all the guest hosts. The job subsequently-though very briefly-went to Richards, who was one of the show's first guest presenters.
Following Richards' unceremonious exit, both from his role as host and executive producer, amid backlash over offensive comments he had made on a podcast several years ago, he was replaced onscreen by Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik. The pair have since been named as the show's new permanent presenters.
During a fan Q&A over the weekend at the Rose City Comic Con in Portland, Oregon, Burton was asked how he felt about being overlooked for the coveted job.
"Jeopardy! hired the hosts that they wanted so it's all good," Burton said, per We Got This Covered.
While not naming Richards directly, he then spoke of being led to believe something vastly different to the scenario that would eventually play out.
"I'll always bet on myself and given the opportunity to do it all over again, I would," Burton is quoted as saying. "Well, first I would not believe the executive producer when he told me twice that he was not interested in the job, his job was to find someone to do the job. That's the guy who gave himself the job."
"So if I were to do it all over again, I wouldn't trust him," the Reading Rainbow alum went on. "But I would insist on knowing that this was a real audition for the job because that's what I thought I was asking for."
Stating that he felt he was "pulled into a publicity stunt," the Star Trek actor added: "But I went in willingly. I own my actions 100 percent, I just wish they had been more forthcoming at the beginning."
Despite the experience, Burton insisted that he "loved every minute" of hosting Jeopardy! which he described as a dream come true.
"Hosting Jeopardy! was. it was the fulfillment of a long-held dream and it was scary as well. And I loved every moment of it."
Newsweek has reached out to representatives of Jeopardy! for comment.
On August 11, 2021, it was announced that Richards had landed the role of Jeopardy! host, bringing to an end months of speculation.
However, things went far from smoothly, with Richards stepping down just nine days after his appointment was announced. He also lost his role as the show's executive producer by the end of August.
While Burton had told Newsweek back in April 2021 that he was keen to follow in Trebek's Jeopardy! hosting footsteps, he said during an appearance on The Daily Show last September that he had since changed his mind.
Speaking with host Trevor Noah about the fan support he had received, Burton said: "You know, we did a Kickstarter several years ago. I discovered then that the generation of adults now, who grew up on Reading Rainbow, they were down with whatever it is I wanted to do, and the same was true with this Jeopardy! thing.
"I made it public that I wanted it for myself, that it made sense to me, and they were all about it. It made as much sense to them as it did to me. And, so, they wanted it for me as much as I wanted it."
He went on: "The crazy thing is that when you set your sights on something, you know, they say be careful of what you wish for, because what I found out is that it wasn't the thing that I wanted after all.
"What I wanted was to compete. I mean, I wanted the job, right, but then, when I didn't get it, it was, like, well, OK, what's next? And, so, the opportunities that have come my way as a result of not getting that gig, I couldn't have dreamt it up."
"If you had given me a pen and paper and said, 'Well, so what do you want this to really look like? If it doesn't include Jeopardy!' I wouldn't have been this generous to myself," Burton added.
"I never thought about hosting any other game show outside of Jeopardy!" he said. "But now, they went in a different direction with their show, which is their right, and now I'm thinking, well, it does kind of make sense, let me see what I can do. So we're trying to figure out what the right game show for LeVar Burton would be."
Burton reiterated his stance in an October interview with The Daily Beast, stating that he had planned to reject the Jeopardy! offer, should he still be in the running.
When asked how he would react if he was called and offered the job, he said: "I'd say, 'No. You've got to be kidding me! You're out of your mind. Goodbye!'"
"I want to make it clear, for the record, that I'm really happy with the way things worked out," he went on. "I was disappointed to not get the job, but I'm the sort of person, I believe that everything happens for a reason.
"And if I didn't get that job, that meant it wasn't supposed to be for me, and I accepted that almost instantly and willingly. I know that the opportunities that are in front of me right now wouldn't have come my way had I gotten the job, so I'm certain that this has worked out better for me than I could ever have imagined."
While the star went into his week-long Jeopardy! stint with an army of fans supporting him, he landed the lowest ratings of all the guest hosts, with an audience share of 4.4 percent when the episodes aired in the last week of July 2021.
Among the factors affecting ratings during the week in question were the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the NBA draft, and President Joe Biden's announcement of new COVID vaccination measures. The audience share for the guest host rotation, which started airing in January 2021 with Jennings, had also tapered off over the months.
Burton announced in November that he is set to host and produce an upcoming TV show version of the popular board game Trivial Pursuit.
Season 39 of Jeopardy! will debut on Monday, September 12.
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