Last week, it was announced that Star Trek actor and Reading Rainbow host LaVar Burton created a Kickstarter campaign in hopes of raising $1 million to bring back the popular children’s television show.

Burton succeeded in raising the funds, but many weren’t thrilled with the idea of the show’s return. In Caitlin Dewey’s article, “Why you might want to reconsider that donation to the Reading Rainbow Kickstarter.” she pretty much calls the show a failure. 

Now Burton is firing back in response to the criticism. 

From Think Progress:

“The idea that I am trying to somehow revive a failed endeavor is bulls***. That’s right. I said it. Bulls***.”

I get feedback every day of my life, in terms of the number of millennials who come up to me and GUSH about what an important part of their childhoodReading Rainbow played. […] it was a risk to take this platinum brand and ask for money. It could have gone horribly wrong. That’s why we made the campaign 35 days instead of 30. Giving it that extra time. We never dreamed we’d reach our goal in 11 hours. Overwhelmingly, we have over 75,000 backers. And overwhelmingly, it’s a $5, a $10 donation. I think the average donation is south of $45. That’s the average.

Read more at Think Progress

Burton goes on to defend the television series by saying that the show “was not cancelled because it was not effective [and that] Reading Rainbow was the most used television resource in our nation’s classroom.”

Reading Rainbow’s Kickstarter campaign exceeded its goal of $1 million, and raised more than $3.5 million in support of the program.

What do you think of Burton’s response to critics of the show and campaign?

Should Reading Rainbow return?

Sound off below!