Jeopardy!: LeVar Burton top choice to replace the late Alex Trebek as host

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

It's nearly impossible to think of anyone replacing the late Alex Trebek as the host of Jeopardy! For many of us, Alex Trebek was Jeopardy! but with his passing after a nearly two-year battle with pancreatic cancer, the popular game show is forced to deal with that saying that "the show must go on." Trebek's final Jeopardy! episodes are set to air through Christmas but what happens after? Who could possibly fill his shoes? While nothing official has been announced, Jeopardy! fans do have someone in mind that could be a worthy successor. 

LeVar Burton, actor and children's television host best known for starring as Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation and for fronting the PBS educational show Reading Rainbow, is the top choice to be the world's next quiz master on the popular game show, according to a recent petition that has almost 9,000 signatures. The petition creator had this to say as to why Burton would be the best choice:

Between hosting 21 seasons of the educational Reading Rainbow, playing brainiac Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and filling the role 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. This petition is to show Sony Picures 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!

Back in September in regards to Jeopardy Levar Burton took to Twitter to publicly declare that he would love to host the show! when Alex Trebek retires. The notion of really losing Trebek to cancer this soon didn't seem like a possibility because he fought it so bravely and didn't appear gravely ill while hosting the show in the wake of his diagnosis. No one wanted to think of a replacement because Trebek would no longer be with us but now it's a very real hurdle that will have to be addressed eventually. As of now, Sony Pictures told "Newsweek" on Sunday that the company does not intend to share details about a new host. The respectful thing is to wait until all of Trebek's final episodes air in their entirety and then look into a new host in the new year.

Do YOU think LeVar Burton would be a worthy replacement for Alex Trebek as host? Who are some other contenders that could possibly be up for the job?