LeVar Burton talks Jeopardy!: "The fix was always in"

LeVar Burton has been in the news of late, as he steps up to lend decades of experience as the face of American reading to a new gig: Hosting the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Understandably, this job as MC for America’s most dramatic intellectual bloodsport has brought up questions about that other mental competition gig Burton was purportedly in the running for. And Burton has pulled no punches talking about his efforts to become Jeopardy! host, declaring that he feels like he was never given a real shot, and that “the fix was in” in regards to efforts to take his spot at the podium.

This is per a few different conversations the Roots and Star Trek actor has had recently, including with The Ringer, which did a healthy chunk of reporting on former Jeopardy! executive producer/host Mike Richards, whose long-running search for a new host in the wake of the death Alex Trebek ended up centering on… Mike Richards.

Burton (after having to be reminded multiple times what Richards’ name was—same, honestly) stated that he actually had to call the producer, who was put in charge of finding Jeopardy’s new host, twice about getting a potential guest-hosting gig/tryout for the permanent job, because Richards apparently “didn’t believe” Burton was actually passionate about the job. (This, despite the fact that Burton’s been expressing his interest in the position since way back in 2013; like the hundreds of thousands of people who signed a petition supporting him getting the job, he noted that his unique position in the American cultural landscape made him a natural fit for the gig.)

Even so: “It was not a competition to find a new host, really. Because the fix was always in.” Among other things, Burton notes that he was given only a week hosting the show (during the Olympics, which hurt ratings), as opposed to the two-week guest-host stint that most “candidates” got, which reduced his ability to get comfortable and improve after some early stiffness in the position. Plus, again: The bit where Richards functionally ended up picking himself for the job. (Richards spent exactly one day—a.k.a. five episodes—in the position before outcry and reporting about both the process and his past comments drove him out; Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik currently share the host job, with no permanent host now set.)

Anyway: LeVar Burton’s not stressing about it. He’s set to appear on the third season of Picard, he’s still working to develop a Trivial Pursuit board game, and, again: The man’s hosting the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Who needs Jeopardy!?