By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer
While “Black Jeopardy” is only a thing on “Saturday Night Live,” game shows are a part of television history, with contestants vying for lots of cash and other cool prizes. Both daytime and evening shows have created memorable moments and made show hosts household names: Richard Dawson on “Family Feud,” Chuck Woolery on “Love Connection,” Bob Barker on “The Price Is Right,” and Alex Trebek on the real “Jeopardy.” Sacramento’s own LeVar Burton guest-hosted “Jeopardy” and created a social media frenzy in 2020 with fans expecting him to replace Trebek upon his death. Here, The OBSERVER highlights African Americans who have taken turns at the hosting game.
Wayne Brady
“Let’s Make a Deal” originally aired in 1963 and has maintained its popularity for decades. Brady has hosted since 2007.
Steve Harvey
The comic and actor had big shoes to fill in taking on the hosting of “Family Feud” in 2010. He proved he had what it takes and made it his own, doing so in sharp suits and reacting hilariously to contestants’ outrageous answers. Harvey also hosts “Celebrity Family Feud” and “Family Feud Africa,” which he produced through his production company Steve Harvey Global.
Alfonso Ribiero
Following “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” Ribiero hosted “Catch 21,” a card-based competition on GSN, formerly known as the Game Show Network, from 2008-2011 and again in 2019 when the show was brought back. The veteran performer also led a spelling bee game show, “Spell-Mageddon” on ABC in 2013.
Keke Palmer
Speaking of spelling bees … “Akilah and the Bee” actress and talk show host Palmer has a few game shows under her belt, including “That’s My Jam” and an updated version of the classic show “Password,” which has earned her a 2024 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Host for a Game Show.
Michael Strahan
The Pro Football Hall of Fame player stays pretty busy in retirement, hosting and co-hosting daytime shows such as “Live! With Kelly and Michael,” “Good Morning America” and “Strahan, Sara and Keke.” He also hosts the reboot of another perennial game show, “The $100,000 Pyramid,” Sunday nights on ABC.
Jaleel White
Fans remember him for his portrayal of nerdy nerd, Steven Urkel, but an adult White hosted “Total Blackout” on the Syfy network in 2012. White urged competitors on as they sought to get items from point A to point B in the dark.
David Alan Grier
Grier, who gave the culture iconic characters and lines on the hit sketch comedy series “In Living Color,” hosted “Random Acts of Comedy” in 1999 and “Snap Decision” in 2017. “Random Acts of Comedy” mixed charades and improv and “Snap Decision” asked contestants to make judgements about people based on short video clips.
Wanda Sykes
The standup comic-actress hosted and produced a show with a similar premise to “Snap Decision” in 2017. “Face Value” aired on BET and paired a celebrity team captain with contestants to judge a stranger based only on their looks and a few provided bits of information.
Wendy Williams
Williams, the queen of messy, hosted “Love Triangle” on GSN in 2011. Described as a “dating-themed game show-talk show crossover,” “Love Triangle” featured singles in relationships with two people.
Sherri Shepherd
The actress, comedienne and talk show host brought her effervescent personality to “Best Ever Trivia Show” in 2019. Shepherd previously co-hosted on “The View” and took over Wendy Williams’ popular show in 2022, when she left for medical reasons.
Terry Crews and Cedric the Entertainer
Crews and Cedric both hosted “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?,” posing a number of questions to competitors as the prize money increases as they advance and seek help from friends or “lifelines” they called for assistance.
Kim Coles
Fans remember Coles from her role as Sinclaire James on the popular 1990s sitcom, “Living Single.” She hosted “Pay It Off” on BET in 2009. Contestants answered pop culture questions and won money to pay off their debts.
DeRay Davis
Davis hosted VH1’s version of “Hip-Hop Squares” from 2016-2019. The show, executively produced by rapper-actor Ice Cube, was an urban take on the classic game show “Hollywood Squares.”
Snoop Dogg
The award-winning rapper and actor has likely watched many a game show while smoking, one of his well-known pastimes. He has also played plenty of dice games, so he seemed a perfect choice to host the reboot of “The Joker’s Wild.” “Snoop Dogg Presents The Joker’s Wild,” debuted on TBS in 2017 and ran two seasons.
Leslie Jones
Jones hosted ABC’s revival of the grocery game “Supermarket Sweep” from 2020-2022.
The former “Saturday Night Live” comic also served as executive producer.
Anthony Anderson
The “Black-ish” star hosts ABC’s “To Tell the Truth.” The show originally was introduced in the 1960s and the premise remains the same: the host shares information about a contestant and panelists have to determine who is being honest about who they are.
Jamie Foxx
The comedic actor and his daughter Corinne started hosting “Beat Shazam” in 2017. Competitors answer music trivia for the chance to win money and beat a computer for an even bigger prize. Nick Cannon took over hosting duties in May as Foxx deals with a personal health issue.