TV legend ‘turned down’ Who Wants to be a Millionaire? as show ‘struggles’ to book A-list contestants

A TV legend has turned down a spot on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? as the show ‘struggles’ to book A-list contestants, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal.

Fans have complained about the lack of big names that made the celebrity lineup for the latest season of the Jimmy Kimmel-hosted game show.

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Jimmy Kimmel hosts Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?Credit: ABC

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The late night host is back on Millionaire for the fourth year as hostCredit: ABC
While some viewers are disappointed with the lineup, it apparently wasn’t because of a lack of trying on the show’s production side.

According to an insider, the show “struggled” to land certain big names they were hoping to cast for this season.

Several big Hollywood names were approached to be contestants on the series, but they allegedly turned it down.

“Larry David was asked to come on. First, as a player and then, due to his relationship with some of the celebrity contestants, also as a lifeline.

“He was even asked to be a ‘phone-a-friend’ for one of the actresses who appears on this season.

“But Larry was replaced by another acclaimed actor when he also declined that role,” the source claimed.

While Larry, 78, doesn’t appear to be a big fan of appearing on game shows himself, he did incorporate an iconic series into his long-running Emmy winner, Curb Your Enthusiasm.

There is a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode from 2007 that centered around The Newlywed Game and features Larry, along with co-star Cheryl Hines, as their characters attempt to answer questions.

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Larry David attends the Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 12 premiere at DGA Theater Complex on January 30, 2024Credit: Getty

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Larry David during a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden on February 03, 2024Credit: Getty
The current season of Millionaire kicked off with celebrity contestants Drew Carey and Aisha Tyler.

Unfortunately, they missed a question earlier on, but still walked away with $32,000 for charity.

Up next was perhaps the most high-profile matchup of the season.

Matt Damon, 54, teamed up with Jeopardy! superstar Ken Jennings, 51, for a jaw-dropping episode.

Both Matt and Ken impressed with their trivia knowledge and continued their game from episode one until episode two.

To little surprise, the duo dominated every question and made it all the way to the $1 million showstopper – which they also got right.

Their impressive run scored them a whopping $1m, which will be donated to their charity choice, water.org.

Rounding out the third episode were Jordan Klepper and Ronny Chieng – who lost on the $125,000 question and dropped down to bringing $32,000 back for their charity of choice.

On tonight’s August 6th episode, Joel McHale and Jim Rash for the first game, and Tramell Tillman and Zach Cherry playing the second game.

Next week, actors Adam Devine and Anders Holm will attempt to bring home seven-figures for charity.

Their run will be followed by Hacks stars, Helen Hunt and Dan Bucatinsky.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire hosts

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire has on and off the air since 1999.

Here is a list of the hosts of the US game show:

Regis Philbin
Meridith Vieria
Cedric the Entertainer
Terry Crews
Chris Harrison
Jimmy Kimmel

Later in August, Kal Penn and Jameela Jamil will also be featured on Millionaire, followed by Gary Janetti and Brad Goreski.

Closing out the season will be Chloe Fineman and Jillian Bell.

Fans have complained that despite advertising a star-studded lineup, the contestants have been less than impressive.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve heard of less than half of these names,” someone complained while another added “so besides Ken and Matt, they’re being generous with the whole ‘celebrity’ title aren’t they?”

This season marks the fourth year that late-night host Jimmy, 57, has led the trivia show.

The late TV icon Regis Philbin first made the show famous in 1999 and hosted the program until 2002.

Over the years, a slew of other TV personalities have hosted the show, including Meredith Vieira, Cedric the Entertainer, Terry Crews, and Chris Harrison.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? airs Wednesdays at 8 pm EST on ABC.

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Ken Jennings and Matt Damon appear on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?Credit: ABC

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Reggie Watts and Ron Funches appeared on this season of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?Credit: ABC