LeVar Burton Says He Felt “Wrecked” After Not Getting Jeopardy!

LeVar Burton didn’t just feel hurt, he felt “wrecked.” We all know the feeling of wanting something soo much and not having it, when things like this happen, it always leaves us feeling shattered, and at that moment, the saying “you can’t always get what you wish for,” would be the least on your mind, or not.

In the case of LeVar Burton, it’s not getting the Jeopardy! gig that “wrecked” him. Keep up to find out why not getting to be the host nearly tore him apart.

LaVar Burton — On Why He Felt “Wrecked”

Ever since the longtime host of Jeopardy! Alex Trebek, the hosting role was open, and Burton was in the running to be chosen as Jeopardy!’s replacement host. The role ultimately went to former executive producer Mike Richards—who was fired after allegations of sexist comments—and then to Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings.

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Now, the author is opening up about not being chosen for the position, revealing that he was “not just disappointed, but wrecked.”

“Experiencing a very public defeat, humiliation, if you will, was sobering,” Burton told Newsy’s In the Loop in an interview. “I didn’t expect that I would not be their choice for host.”

Part of the hurt had to do with the fact Jeopardy! was Burton’s “favorite game show” that he had watched since he was a kid. “I honestly thought that I was well-suited for it,” he says. “As it turns out, it really wasn’t a competition, after all, the fix was in.”

LaVar Burton — On How He Bounced Back

Ever heard of a “blessing in disguise?” Well, simply put, while Burton was beating himself up for not landing the role of the host, he was offered a better one.

Burton shared that during “the same time-frame, if not the same week,” as the Jeopardy! news, he was asked to host the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

“To get the call about hosting this tournament was huge balm on an open wound,” Burton said. “And I thought ‘ah, they see me,’ and I’m definitely one to go where I’m wanted and loathe to go where I’m not invited.”

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LaVar Burton – Says The Situation Taught Him An Age-Old Lesson.

“What I learned from the experience, really, is that it reinforced my belief that everything happens for a reason, even if you cannot discern the reason in the moment,” he explained. “In the fullness of time, everything will be revealed.”

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