Jeffrey Dean Morgan had ‘big concerns’ about hosting ‘Destination X’ — reveals why wife Hilarie Burton urged him to do it
Jeffrey Dean Morgan is heading for new horizons.
The prolific actor, 59, has starred in many hit shows, including “The Walking Dead,” “Supernatural,” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” but his new show “Destination X” (premiering May 27 at 10 p.m. on NBC and streaming the next day on Peacock) marks his first time hosting a reality competition series.
“My wife and I did ‘Friday Night In With The Morgans’ during COVID,” Morgan told The Post, referring to “One Tree Hill” star Hilarie Burton, 42, who he married in 2019.?
Their short-lived 2020 interview show filmed at their upstate New York farm was a “completely different thing” than his new NBC competition show, however, since he filmed it in his garage.
“It was like zoom interviews with friends,” he explained. “[‘Destination X’] was indeed something I had never done, nor had I thought about doing anything like this. It wasn’t on my bucket list of things to do.”
But, he added, “I really did have so much fun.”
“Destination X” follows a group of contestants who get sent on a globetrotting adventure — but they’re not told where they are, and they must solve various challenges to guess their location.?
The winner gets a quarter of a million dollars. Morgan serves as the emcee.
“The Boys” actor confessed that he was “very much on the fence about the idea.”
“I’m not a host-y kind of guy. I’m a little bit crass. I’m a little bit maybe too edgy for NBC and Peacock. I had big concerns,” said Morgan.
“It was really my wife who was like, ‘This might be something that you really enjoy. And, it might be a chance for people to see you be you, and it might be something you can have fun with.’”
The “Watchmen” actor joked that he’s not Chris Hardwick or Ryan Seacrest, though.
“I love those guys, but that’s not me. I kept saying, ‘Are you sure you want Jeffery Dean Morgan?’ Hilarie really kind of talked me into it, as much as NBC.”
Morgan and Burton tied the knot in 2019, and have been together since 2009. They share son Gus, 15, and daughter George, 7.
“We stay out of the spotlight. It’s been the key [to our marriage],” Morgan told The Post. “I mean, we spent the majority of our life up here at the farm.”
“Not that other people aren’t [doing this too], but I think the most important thing for us is to raise two great kids, and that’s been kind of the priority.”
“The Walking Dead” star explained that as the kids are getting older, he and Burton “finally have a little bit of time.”
“So we’re looking at projects together to do,” he revealed. “But, we have no interest in the spotlight of it all.”
Last month, the family of four walked their first red carpet together for the second season of his show, “The Walking Dead: Dead City,” at the 8th Canneseries Festival in Cannes, France.
“[That was] very special,” Morgan gushed.
“We’d never done that. George had never been to a premiere before and, Gus — the last time the world actually saw him, he was still a little boy. And now he’s 6-foot-2, he just turned 15,” he continued. “It’s gone so fast, but we have great kids. I’m excited for the world to get to know them now that we can allow them out a little bit more. They’re cool.”
