LeVar Burton, the beloved former Reading Rainbow host, will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural Children's and Family Emmys in December, the Television Academy announced this week.
Burton took on executive producer and hosting duties for the PBS kids' program in 1983. On the show, Burton read books, conducted interviews and explained current events to children. The show aired for 23 years, and has won 12 Daytime Emmys and a Peabody Award.
"Whoa," Burton said on Twitter in reaction to the Lifetime Achievement Award, announced on Tuesday.
The Children's and Family Emmys is the first standalone Emmy awards show since the Sports Emmy Awards and the News & Documentary Emmy Awards were founded in 1979, the Television Academy said.