A petition has been launched by fans of Jeopardy!, calling for LeVar Burton to host the long running game show following the death of Alex Trebek.
Burton is best known for hosting the PBS classic Reading Rainbow, as well appearing in the Star Trek franchise and starring in the classic TV drama Roots.
At the time of this post, the petition has nearly 50,000 signatures.
Read More: Alex Trebek, long-running ‘Jeopardy!’ host, dies at 80
“Between hosting 21 seasons of the educational Reading Rainbow, playing the brainiac engineer Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: the Next Generation, and filling the roll of Kunta Kinte in the ever important mini-series Roots, LeVar Burton has inspired and shaped the minds of several generations of trivia-loving nerds,” the petition states. “This petition is to show Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and producer Harry Friedman just how much love the public has for Burton, and how much we’d all love to see him as the next host of Jeopardy!”
Burton shared the link to the petition on his Twitter page, writing “Even if nothing comes from it, I can’t tell how much I appreciate all y’alls love and support!”
theGRIO previously reported, “Jeopardy!” debuted on NBC in 1964 with Art Fleming as emcee and was an immediate hit. It lasted until 1975, then was revived in syndication with Trebek.
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Trebek presided over the beloved quiz show for more than 30 years. He died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 80.
“Jeopardy!” made him famous. He won five Emmys as its host, and received stars on both the Hollywood and Canadian walks of fame. In 2012, the show won a prestigious Peabody Award.
“Alex wasn’t just the best ever at what he did. He was also a lovely and deeply decent man, and I’m grateful for every minute I got to spend with him,” tweeted “Jeopardy!” champion Ken Jennings. “Thinking today about his family and his Jeopardy! family — which, in a way, included millions of us.”
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