LeVar Burton Addresses ‘Jeopardy!’ Snub In Reddit AMA

Actor LeVar Burton recently took part in a Reddit AMA to answer questions.

The former “Reading Rainbow” host currently hosts a podcast called LeVar Burton Reads. He explained that his podcast “continues a lifelong commitment of mine to create content that enlightens as well as educates, provides inspiration alongside information, and helps to create lifelong learners who don’t have to take anybody’s word for it!”

One fan said that they were a huge fan of the “Community” sitcom, in which Burton guest starred. They asked, “Do you have any fun stories from your time on set?”

“I need to say here just how impressed I was with the level of commitment Donald Glover brought to those moments between Troy and LeVar,” Burton replied. “For instance, I wasn’t present for the bathroom scene where he sings RR and delivers the line, ‘Set phasers to stun!’, but when I saw the finished episode I was floored. Arguably one of the best lines in TV history.”

Another fan asked, “What was it like working with Donald Glover and the rest of the cast of Community?”

“The entire cast was wonderful!” he replied. “I am friends with Yvette Nicole Brown. We are both member of a Blerd Brunch crew. Whenever I see one of them it’s always a joy for me. They were incredibly generous!!!”

When one fan asked, “do people ask you to sing the theme song to Reading rainbow all the time? If no, could you?” Burton jumped into all caps to give his response.

“I SING IT ALL THE TIME,” he wrote. “IT MY RINGTONE.”

“This made my life!” another fan replied.

Another fan asked, “What books do you read over and over, if any? Do you have any feelings about whether it's good to keep moving on to new discoveries, or returning to familiar stories?”

“These days, it’s whatever makes you feel better!” Burton answered. “For me it’s the balance of new stories with those that are familiar and in that sense, comforting. We’re all under considerable stress these days and whatever healthy ways we can employ to keep our sanity intact I’m very much in favor thereof.”

Another fan asked, “Any obscure reading suggestions for black teenagers who seem to have read everything already?”

“I believe it is our passions that govern our reading appetites! Folks ask me all the time, ‘How do I get my kid to read more?’ I ask them two questions in return,” Burton replied. “1) How often does your child see you reading? That modeling is critically important. 2) What is your child passionate about? If your child loves superheroes then I recommend buying your kid some comic books!”

When asked if he has a bias towards digital books on a screen of traditional printed books on paper, Burton revealed that he did not have a bias.

“I don’t believe I have a bias. Bound books, digital books; I simply want to read! One of the miracles of the modern age is that I literally carry around a library on my tablet. A WHOLE LIBRARY! I didn’t see that coming,” he replied.

Burton was asked about his famous “Jeopardy!” snub. The decades-running game show seemed to only provide Burton a shot at hosting after a fan petition circulated widely online, including being shared by “Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds. However, his run was only a week-long and aired the same time as the Olympics, meaning that it aired instead of “Jeopardy!” in many areas so fans didn’t actually get to see Burton’s run air. Since the show’s aren’t available to stream anywhere, some fans never actually got to watch Burton’s run at all.

“Huge fan of everything you do!” one fan wrote. “Are you still hoping for a real shot at Jeopardy?”

“Actually, no,” Burton replied. “I have developed along with Milton Bradley a game show based on their IP, Trivial Pursuit, which as you might imagine I am incredibly excited about!”

“Just want to say that I really enjoyed your appearance and performance on the show! It felt like a great fit. Too bad the show had too much baggage to see past it. Their loss,” another fan replied. “Thanks for being a great actor and a stand up human. Look forward to seeing you in more things!”

Another fan asked, “What do you hope people will take away from you as your legacy when you’re gone?”

Burton replied with his epitaph truly fitting of his legacy: “As human beings go, he didn’t suck.”