LeVar Burton has his sights set on hosting "Jeopardy!"
A petition has been circulating on social media calling for the "Star Trek: the Next Generation" star to take over the spot that was left vacant following Alex Trebek's tragic death on Nov. 8 at age 80, and the actor was happy to share a link with his Twitter followers Monday night.
"Leaving this here in the event the powers that be are listening." he wrote in the post.
The online message has received more than 12,000 retweets and 43,000 likes as of Thursday.
This is not the first time Burton has shared the petition. In November he also shared the link and thanked his fans for their support.
"Even if nothing comes from it, I can’t tell how much I appreciate all y’alls love and support!" he wrote in a tweet that included a link to the petition, which calls on Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and show producers to consider Burton for the role of host.
"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 reads.
Burton may be in for some competition though. Aaron Rodgers is also hoping to be made the permanent host for "Jeopardy!"
During an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," the Green Bay Packers quarterback said he would have no problem shaving his facial hair if it secured him a spot on the show.
"I would love to be host of 'Jeopardy!' he added.
Rodgers echoed his sentiments in an interview with The Ringer.
"I’m not shy at all about saying I want the job," Rodgers stated.
"I feel like I bring something different to the stage—I’m the youngest of any of the guest hosts, I’d be the youngest host of just about any major game show, I bring an audience from the NFL, and I feel like I appeal to nerdy people, too, because I was a nerd in high school and got caught in that weird phase of wanting to be a jock and an athlete and also really caring about getting good grades," he added.
"And at the same time, there’s not many bigger fans of the show than me. I’ve been watching it for years and years and years. I respect the show and appreciate the history of it, and also there’s my background of stepping in for a legend and their footsteps. I feel like all that combined makes me a pretty good candidate."
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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