LeVar Burton Teaches Sense of Humor to Fans

Fans of LeVar Burton and Reading Rainbow get weepy over The Onion

Satire is a subtle art form -- one apparently lost on actor LeVar Burton’s fans.

When the satirical news-makers at The Onion published a story called "My Living Nightmare of Encouraging Kids to Read is Over by Levar Burton." not everyone got the joke.

The fabricated story, in which Burton celebrates the collapse of his PBS show Reading Rainbow, delivers lines like: "For 26 years, I've told kids they could open a magical door to another world just by reading a book, when the only door it ever opened for me led to a soul-sucking career in the horrifying abyss of public television."

Those familiar with the Onion’s brand of parody laughed. Those not so familiar expressed shame and disappointment on Twitter.

In response, the actor tweeted back: "Relax, OK?" explaining that "the Onion is a satirical parody of news events and meant to be enjoyed as such!"

We're glad someone got the joke.

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