LeVar Burton Set To Host And Executive Produce The CW’s ‘Trivial Pursuit’ After Losing Out On ‘Jeopardy’ Gig: Report

LeVar Burton is about to get his trivia on!

A new report from TMZ citing “network sources” reveals that the beloved Reading Rainbow host has secured his next project: hosting Trivial Pursuit on The CW. Not only will he host, but he will also executive produce the upcoming game show. The outlet reports that “the news will become official to the world” at an upcoming event in New York, which they hear Burton is attending.

Decider reached out to a representative for Burton for confirmation, but did not hear back by time of publication.

Burton’s name was first tied to the project in 2021, when he was set to host and executive produce the show under his own production company and eOne, per Deadline. According to Variety, Hasbro, which owned eOne, sold the company to Lionsgate in August 2023.

Then, buzz surrounding Burton nearing a deal spurred later that month following another report from TMZ. In February 2024, TVLine reported that the network had ordered the series, as well as another Hasbro-inspired program, Scrabble.

This news feels righteous, as many were upset when Burton was passed over as Jeopardy! host for Mike Richards, who ultimately stepped down after being exposed for previous offensive remarks and was consequently booted from his role as EP, as well.

Burton served as a guest host for the show in July 2021 following the death of former host Alex Trebek. While speaking with The New York Times Magazine in June 2021 about the prospective gig, Burton said, “It’s difficult to explain, but there’s something inside me that says this makes sense.”

He eventually reflected on the lost opportunity in an April 2023 interview with People, noting that “your failures are more important than your successes because you learn more from them.”

“Everything happens for a reason, and it’s all purposeful and perfect,” he said. “So where’s the perfection in ‘I didn’t get what I wanted’? I discovered that [it] wasn’t supposed to be mine, but the process that I went through led me to exactly where I needed to be.”