LeVar Burton calls ‘bulls- -t’ on recent school book bans: ‘It’s embarrassing’
LeVar Burton had some not so kid-friendly words on recent book bans in schools.
The former “Reading Rainbow” host went off on the subject during Thursday’s episode of “The View.”
Joy Behar prompted the impassioned response when she asked Burton, 65, about the recent bans, especially on books “about race, sexuality and basically American history.”
He abruptly rebuked, “Bulls - - t.”
“I’ll be absolutely candid and honest — it’s embarrassing that we are banning books in this country, in this culture, in this day and age,” the “Star Trek” actor continued. “We have this aversion in this country to knowing about our past. And anything that is unpleasant, we don’t want to do deal with.”
“This is not going away. Nothing goes away, especially if you ignore it,” the lifelong literacy advocate added. “So read the books they’re banning. That’s where the good stuff is. If they don’t want you to read it, there’s a reason why.
His appearance on the daytime talk show comes ahead of the premier of “Butterfly in the Sky” at the Tribeca Film Festival starting Thursday. The documentary, named after the iconic “Reading Rainbow” theme song, collects archival footage and new interviews of people involved with his beloved storytelling show for kids on PBS in the 1990s.
Meanwhile, the nostalgic tune associated with the series, performed by actress and singer Tina Fabrique, was introduced to a new generation when it became a viral meme on TikTok earlier this year.
Burton, too, had re-entered the public eye when he famously tried — and failed — to land the coveted “Jeopardy” host gig, following the death of Alex Trebek in 2020.
Burton shared the podium with a slew of celebrity guests, including talk show host Dr. Mehmet Oz, actress Mayim Bialik and recording-breaking “Jeopardy” champion Ken Jennings — all of whom were discussed as potential replacements.
After a weeklong stint in 2021 with the game show’s long-time producer Mike Richards as official heir — and before he was ultimately forced out for past problematic remarks — the one awarded the permanent role remains in question.
Fans had lobbied hard for Burton.
“Experiencing a very public defeat — humiliation, if you will — was sobering,” he told Newsy in May. “And what I learned from the experience, really, is that it reinforced my belief that everything happens for a reason, even if you cannot discern the reason in the moment.
“In the fullness of time, everything will be revealed. And like I said, it was I think in that first week of feeling really sort of not just disappointed, but wrecked,” he continued. “I didn’t expect that I would not be their choice for host.”
