PBS Brings Back ‘Reading Rainbow’ After 19 Years With New Host

PBS announced Monday that Reading Rainbow will return to television with new host Mychal Threets after nearly two decades off the air. The beloved children’s show originally ran from 1983 to 2006 with host LeVar Burton and became one of PBS’s most-watched programs in network history. Threets, a California librarian who gained popularity through TikTok videos about library experiences and literacy importance, has served as PBS’s resident librarian since 2024. The revamped series will feature new books and celebrity guests including Dancing with the Stars dancers Rylee Arnold and Ezra Sosa, plus The Bear actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Celebrity readers will include John Legend, Chrissy Teigen and Adam Devine. The program highlights literacy’s importance while showcasing diverse topics, cultures, and experiences through award-winning children’s books. (Story URL)