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Everything to Know About Destination X Host Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Contestants on Destination X will place their trust in one of Hollywood’s most charming villains.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan is back with perhaps his most extreme role to date as host of the new adventure-based competition, Destination X. While Morgan is a perfect choice to be the International game master of the show, some may have prying questions about his life and career.
The show will be based on the original Belgian hit format, which drops clueless contestants into mysteriously remote locations and makes them guess where they are. The goal of the game is to place an X on the map in the correct spot, or at least a more correct spot than the other competitors. But to keep things interesting, the “mischievous” host, who is also an executive producer, will play “puppet master” by dropping hints as to the location “along with a few misdirects,” according to his announcement.
RELATED: Everything You Need To Know about Destination X, the New Adventure Competition Show Coming to NBC
As someone famous for his portrayals of villains and roguish heartthrobs, Morgan seems uniquely well suited to the intriguing concept — and being a ruggedly handsome “man of mystery” doesn’t hurt either. Destination X marks his first non-scripted role, and we have no idea what we’re in for. Clearly, this is not an ordinary adventure, and Morgan is not your typical host.
To help prepare, though, you can learn more about the Walking Dead and Supernatural actor in anticipation of Destination X on NBC.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan played the villainous Negan on The Walking Dead
In The Walking Dead's post-apocalyptic landscape of moaning zombies, Morgan donned a leather jacket and played a sociopath to perfection as the villain Negan. He quickly became a fan-favorite, bringing the comic book character to life with a special swagger that earned him a Critics Choice Award in 2016 and MTV’s Best Villain Award in 2017. He continued the role in a spinoff series titled Dead City.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan got his first break on the 90s cult-classic, Sliders
Before Morgan rose to fame with Grey’s Anatomy and The Walking Dead, he was a memorable guest star on the iconic science-fiction series Sliders (available to stream on Peacock), which aired for five seasons on SYFY. Just 29 years old at the time, he played young criminal Sid in the 1996 episode “El Sid,” who hails from a parallel universe wielding a deadly yet irresistible charm.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan begged not to be killed off on Grey’s Anatomy
In 2006, the actor landed a career-changing part as Denny Duquette on the hit medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. He played a heart transplant patient who fell in love with Dr. Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), and their romance had audiences swooning.
“That character, Denny, and that love story with Izzie kind of took the world by storm,” Morgan revealed on the “Hot Ones” YouTube series via Today. “I knew how f---ing lucky I was to be there.”
Morgan tried his best to thwart death by appealing to show creator Shonda Rhimes.
“I was like, ‘Please don’t kill me! I will do anything. I did. I begged her,” he recalled.
Though his character was indeed killed off by the second season, the role caught the attention of filmmaker Zack Synder, who cast him in his 2009 blockbuster, Watchmen, in which Morgan returned to his villainous roots as Edward Blake (aka “The Comedian”).
That would not be his last superhero film nor a Snyder film. In 2016, he played Thomas Wayne, the father of Bruce Wayne, in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan was in Supernatural, Grey’s Anatomy and Weeds at the same time
Fans of the haunting CW series Supernatural were shocked when Morgan left after only two seasons. He played John Winchester, the father of two brothers at the heart of the show who hunted down demons and supernatural beings. But Morgan’s reason for leaving was decidedly "human." He had scheduling conflicts. At the time of Supernatural, he was also juggling Grey’s Anatomy and Weeds.
“Persistence pays off. You kick around long enough, and good things can happen. It's been one heck of a year. I can't complain," the humble actor told The Orlando Sentinel, marveling at his good luck.
His time on Supernatural, however, wasn't over just yet. After a 12-year break, Morgan reprised his role as John, appearing in the 300th episode of the series.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan is married to actress Hilarie Burton
For Morgan, a blind date at an Irish pub led to happily ever after. He and Hilarie Burton (One Tree Hill) were set up in 2009 by famous friends Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) and Daneel Ackles (One Tree Hill). The private duo kept their relationship out of the spotlight for the first year, during which they welcomed a son, Augustus “Gus” Morgan, on March 14, 2010. The very next month, they made their red carpet-debut as a couple. In February 2018, they had their second child, daughter George Virginia, and marriage soon followed the next year.
“We had built this life together. We’d had kids together. I think there comes a point where you just don’t want to go another day by being inauthentic about it,” Burton explained to “People.”
The brood now lives on a 120-acre farm in Rhinebeck, New York, dubbed the “Mischief Farm,” where they tend to a menagerie of animals, including a donkey and an emu named “Jack and Diane” who are best friends.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan and his wife own a candy shop with actor Paul Rudd
“Are you Willy Wonka? What do you mean you own a candy shop?” asked a puzzled Stephen Colbert when Morgan appeared on The Late Show as a guest. The actor explained that the first person he met in Rhinebeck was the owner of the local candy store, Samuel’s Sweet Shop. When he passed away, Morgan approached his friend and neighbor, Paul Rudd, about taking it over. Now, among all the treats, you can find “Jeffries Favorites Sampler,” which includes chocolate bark, Swedish fish, and, yes, ghoulish gummies that look like human teeth!
Destination X will make its way to NBC soon but you can catch similar competition shows on Peacock now.
