She’ll make history as a ‘Jeopardy!’ guest host. Answer: Who is Robin Roberts?
Longtime journalist Robin Roberts will go from newsbreaker to history maker when she appears as a “Jeopardy!” guest host this week.
Roberts was named among the final group of guest hosts to close out the show’s 37th season, and is set to become the first Black woman to host the iconic trivia game show.
The Alabama native, who grew up in Mississippi, will assume hosting duties from July 19-23, “Jeopardy!” announced in April. Roberts called it a “thrill” to be chosen as a guest host and gave fans a behind-the-scenes peek at her time on set.
“I had a wonderful time,” Roberts told “Good Morning America” co-host George Stephanopoulos, who hosted the quiz show last week. “It was stressful, but it was wonderful. ... I was just so taken aback by just the whole atmosphere of being there.”
News that Roberts would temporarily fill the role of beloved host Alex Trebek, who died of pancreatic cancer in November, drew praise among fans of the show.
“Great to see a female representing, and especially since it’s the great @RobinRoberts,” WKRN sports reporter Kayla Anderson wrote on Twitter.
“Excuse me while I cry,” wrote another, overcome with emotion.
On the official “Jeopardy!” Facebook page, one viewer said they were “very interested in Lavar [sic] Burton and Robin Roberts. The revolving door of hosts has truly been fun in general.”
“@RobinRoberts is all I needed to know,” another wrote adding: “Can’t wait!”
In its more than 50-year history (the original daytime version began airing in 1964), “Jeopardy!” has never once featured a Black host. The show has also faced criticism from notable figures such as Maya Angelou, whose name and written works were often featured as clues, over the show’s lack of Black contestants.
Addressing Angelou’s concerns, Trebek defended “Jeopardy’s!” record on race in 1995 and said producers were trying their hardest to attract more Black Americans to come on the show.
“It may well be that our (screening) test, which is made up of 50 questions, is culturally biased in favor of whites and against African Americans and other minorities,” he told The Seattle Times. “But I don’t know how you change that. “We have placed ads in Black newspapers, we have set up booths at NAACP conventions, trying to get people to just come out and take the test, but they don’t do it.”
Prior to his death, Trebek in 2018 suggested attorney and legal analyst Laura Coates, who is Black, to possibly fill his spot behind the podium, according to The Washington Post.
It’s unclear if Coates is still being considered for a permanent spot on “Jeopardy!”
This story was originally published April 21, 2021 at 5:42 PM with the headline "She’ll make history as a ‘Jeopardy!’ guest host. Answer: Who is Robin Roberts?."