BACKGRID
LeVar Burton is by far the fan fave to take up the mantle on ‘Jeopardy!’ as Mike Richards takes a bow — but he’s pretty clammy these days when you bring up the topic … which may or may not be telling, depending on how you read and hear this.
The ‘Reading Rainbow’ vet got approached by a pap Monday outside a STAPLES in the San Fernando Valley, and of course … they asked him about all the ‘Jeopardy!’ drama, and whether he thought he should be given a shot to host the game show permanently.
Check out his response … the dude is pretty firm here with his repeated “no comment” line — so it’s clear he’s got zip to say about the sitch, despite most everyone else seeming to have an opinion (in his favor).
You could interpret this a couple ways — he’s either got something to lose (perhaps?) by running his mouth … so he’d rather zip it instead of risk it. OR, he truly doesn’t give a damn and just doesn’t wanna talk about it … ’cause he’s over all the speculation and mind games.
Based on the online fanfare over his potential permanent hosting … something tells us there may be something to that former theory — namely, that LB could have something in the works with the ‘Jeopardy!’ powers that be … especially considering how they did him dirty.
LeVar’s guest-hosting stint was scheduled right up against the Olympics, and got poor ratings. There’s no concrete reporting on how he might personally feel about that — but his supporters were utterly outraged … up to and including when Richards got tapped for day-to-day duties, only to be forced out amid controversy.
Sometimes saying less speaks volumes — and that could be the case here with LeVar. 👀