Drew Barrymore Replaced By Star Trek Icon
According to Deadline, LeVar Burton is set to replace Drew Barrymore as host of the National Book Awards Ceremony, taking place next month in New York City. Burton is of course well known for his role as Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as his significant contribution to children’s literacy through his years hosting the long-running PBS series Reading Rainbow. He also currently hosts a podcast, LeVar Burton Reads, wherein he reads short stories and gives brief reflections on them for his audience.
LeVar Burton has replaced Drew Barrymore as the host of the upcoming National Book Awards Ceremony.
Last month, the National Book Foundation made the decision to remove Drew Barrymore as host of the event after she announced that her talk show would be moving forward in the midst of the writers’ strike, a move that caused her three head writers to quit the show after the strike ended.
For his part, Burton has recently been visible as an advocate for literacy during his tenure as honorary chair of this year’s Banned Books Week. The annual event happens to fall this year during a surge in the banning of books in schools and libraries across the country, a practice against which Burton has been actively campaigning.
Before the announcement and removal of Drew Barrymore, previous hosts included author and comic Phoebe Robinson, as well as television host and author Padma Lakshmi.
While Drew Barrymore has received backlash for attempting to cross the picket line to keep her show going without its writers, Burton continues to remain a front-line voice for the equitable treatment of actors during the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.
Not only does Burton bring a stronger literary pedigree to the event, but his support of the actors’ strike stands in stark contrast to Barrymore’s misstep regarding the WGA strike. The ceremony and the benefit dinner will also include an appearance by special guest Oprah Winfrey, who previously conducted an extensive television interview with Burton.
While Drew Barrymore attempts to hire new writers for her show after her gaffe, the chair of the Board of Directors of the National Book Foundation, David Steinberger, emphasized LeVar Burton‘s advocacy for access to literature and its importance during a time of increased book bans.
Burton concurs, saying in a statement that the event is especially important in today’s increasingly restrictive environment. This is Burton’s second time hosting the National Book Awards, having previously filled the role in 2019 for the 70th annual ceremony.
LeVar Burton will be replacing Drew Barrymore at the ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City on November 15.
Before the announcement and removal of Drew Barrymore, previous hosts included author and comic Phoebe Robinson, as well as television host and author Padma Lakshmi. Though the statement from the National Book Foundation announcing Burton as the new host avoided any mention of Barrymore, their previous statement regarding her removal from the hosting position mentioned that their desire was to not distract from the focus of the awards on celebrating writers and books. The statement also expressed the National Book Foundation’s gratitude to Barrymore and her team for their understanding.
LeVar Burton will be replacing Drew Barrymore at the ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City on November 15. Literacy has become an ongoing theme of Burton’s career as he recently served as executive producer on the documentary film The Right to Read, which premiered this year. Winners announced at the ceremony will include those in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature.
