LeVar Burton to host 'Trivial Pursuit' game show after vying for 'Jeopardy!' hosting gig

LeVar Burton is finally going to be the new host of a trivia game show. But no, it isn't "Jeopardy!"

Burton has been tapped to host a game show version of the trivia game Trivial Pursuit, Hasbro's content studio Entertainment One announced Tuesday. In addition to his hosting duties, Burton will also serve as an executive producer.

“Trivial Pursuit is one of the best-known brands in the gaming universe," Burton said in a statement. "I am thrilled to have partnered with Hasbro and eOne to bring this beloved game to market as a premium show for television."

The Emmy-nominated actor and former "Reading Rainbow" host expressed his desire to host the quiz show in a tweet last September: "Not gonna lie, I feel like I’ve been preparing my whole life to occupy the @Jeopardy host podium when Alex retires."

He contacted the show's executive producer at the time, Mike Richards, to lobby for a guest-hosting spot and tweeted his appreciation for an online petition to make him the show's permanent host that has garnered nearly 300,000 signatures since last November.

'No one else has lobbied': 'Jeopardy!' producer on how LeVar Burton won his audition spot

Last July, he finally hosted "Jeopardy!" for a two-week stint while the game show welcomed a rotating cast of guest hosts, from Katie Couric to Aaron Rodgers. Speaking to USA TODAY at the time, Burton said he saw "Jeopardy!" as "a natural, logical extension of what I've been doing for 45 years," combining entertainment and education.

"I wasn't prepared for how awestruck I was by the point of view of looking at the contestants, the board and the audience from behind the podium," Burton said. "Because as an audience member, we never see that ... It caught me off guard. It was a really powerful, world tilting on its axis moment for me."

USA TODAY interview: LeVar Burton on lobbying to guest-host 'Jeopardy!' and why he thought he'd blown rehearsal

In September, Burton shared in an interview with Trevor Noah that he had moved on from vying for the position as permanent host ("Jeopardy!" champion Ken Jennings and actress Mayim Bialik will be rotating hosting duties for the foreseeable future.)

But as he told USA TODAY over the summer, he initially chose to lobby for the job to ward off any remorse about a missed opportunity.

"I don't want to look back on my life and tick off all of the things that I wish I had said or done," he said. "I just knew that if I let the opportunity pass without speaking my mind and my heart and going after what I've wanted, that I would be filled with regret, and I don't want that for myself."

Contributing: Erin Jensen

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LeVar Burton hosting 'Trivial Pursuit' game show after 'Jeopardy!' run