LeVar Burton on ‘Jeopardy!’ gig: ‘You’re not going to be as smooth as Alex’
told The Associated Press.Even his wife and makeup artist, Stephanie Cozart Burton, was not impressed by his initial effort.“I came backstage after taping the first episode and I said to Stephanie, ‘Well, how did I do?’“She said, ‘ehhh.’”Burton, known for his roles in “Roots,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Reading Rainbow,” is one of several celebrities openly vying to replace the iconic Alex Trebek as host of “Jeopardy!”Trebek hosted the show from 1984 until his death in November 2020. Art Fleming led “Jeopardy!” in the 1960s and 1970s and is the show’s only other full-time host.Burton received just one day of rehearsal before taping five episodes in one day.