Ryan Reynolds champions LeVar Burton for 'Jeopardy' host as he recalls fans' push to cast him as Deadpool: 'The rest is glorious history'
Ryan Reynolds just threw his support being LeVar Burton.
Earlier this month, Mike Richards, an executive producer on Jeopardy!, was named one of two co-hosts of the show, opposite The Big Bang Theory star Mayik Bialik. However, after his past offensive comments surfaced, Richards stepped down from the role after filming just one episode.
The exit has prompted many fans who initially pushed for the Star Trek: The Next Generation actor to host the show to have renewed hope that he may finally land the gig. One such fan is Reynolds, who likened Burton’s experience to how he scored the role of snarky superhero Deadpool.
The Just Friends star tweeted, “Pretty consistently from 2013 to 2015 Deadpool would explode on Twitter with fans wanting me to play him. It was awkward because I agreed with them but the studio didn’t see it. Ultimately the fans won and the rest is glorious history. I’m forever grateful. Hi @levarburton.”
Pretty consistently from 2013 to 2015 Deadpool would explode on Twitter with fans wanting me to play him. It was awkward because I agreed with them but the studio didn’t see it. Ultimately the fans won and the rest is glorious history. I’m forever grateful.
Hi @levarburton— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) August 20, 2021
Reynolds new film Free Guy features a cameo by the late Trebek, who passed away of pancreatic cancer. The actor tweeted of the appearance, "Alex Trebek was kind enough to film a cameo for our film Free Guy last year despite his battle. He was gracious and funny. In addition to being curious, stalwart, generous, reassuring and of course, Canadian. We love you, Alex. And always will."
Burton, who previously hosted the PBS series Reading Rainbow, was asked to be one of the guest hosts on Jeopardy! due to fans' excitement. The show also featured stars like Aaron Rodgers and Robin Roberts as it sought to find a more permanent replacement following the death of the longtime host.
While Burton has yet to respond to Richards’ exit, some people speculated — or perhaps just hoped — that his well-timed tweet of “Happy Friday, ya’ll!” could have been a subtle nod to Richards' stepping down. Whether Burton is holding out hope or not for the gig, it seems that Reynolds certainly is.
