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Pat Sajak to be replaced by familiar face on ‘Wheel of Fortune’

By: The Horn editorial team

Pat Sajak, 76, has presided over Wheel of Fortune for 42 years. When Sajak replaced former host Chuck Woolery in 1981, he became the show’s second host in its 48-year history.

Now, Sajak is preparing to retire… and the studio confirmed a replacement on Tuesday.

Ryan Seacrest, a broadcast mainstay, is set to host the program after Sajak’s retirement next year.

Seacrest and Sony Pictures Television announced Tuesday that Seacrest has signed a multiyear deal to host the game show starting with Season 42. Sajak recently announced the upcoming 41st season would be his last on the show.

It’s the latest hosting gig for Seacrest, who began hosting American Idol in 2002.

“I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak,” Seacrest said in a statement. He also said he was looking to learn as much as possible from Sajak during the transition period.

Seacrest has filled big shoes before. He began hosting FM radio’s American Top 40 in 2004. At the time, he was taking over for disc jockey Casey Kasem, who created American Top 40 in 1970.

In the 2000s, Seacrest began hosting Dick Clark’s Year’s Rockin’ Eve, becoming the program’s first permanent host since Dick Clark’s stroke in 2004.

“Many people probably don’t know this but one of my first jobs was hosting a little game show called ‘Click’ for Merv Griffin 25 years ago so this is truly a full circle moment for me and I’m grateful to Sony for the opportunity,” Seacrest added on Tuesday.

In his statement, Seacrest also praised Vanna White, another mainstay of “Wheel of Fortune,” and signaled she would remain on the show after Sajak’s retirement. Both White and Sajak have been on the show since the early 1980s.

“I can’t wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White,” Seacrest’s statement said. “I can say, along with the rest of America, that it’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them.”

In February, Seacrest announced he would leave Live with Kelly and Ryan, a televised morning show based in New York. Seacrest has departed that show after six years, and Kelly Ripa now hosts that show with her husband Mark Consuelos.

Wheel of Fortune tapes in Southern California, where Seacrest also hosts On-Air with Ryan Seacrest, an adjunct to American Top 40.

The show started out as a daytime game show but became a syndicated nightly telecast in 1983, making Sajak and White the main faces of Wheel of Fortune for viewers for four decades.

Sajak, as longtime host, has made inside jokes with his audience. In one viral moment, he addressed the rumors about wearing a hairpiece.

Take a look at this 2008 flashback —

Sajak first announced his retirement earlier this month, and he opened a competitive contest to replace him.

The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg was publicly jockeying for the spot. Goldberg reportedly declared the following morning, “I want that job.”

Vanna White herself emerged as a possible candidate. White served as a substitute host in 2019 during Sajak’s emergency surgery. Last week, the Daily Mail reported that White was fearing for her future on the show, and the New York Post reported Tuesday that she’d hired a powerhouse lawyer ahead of her contract renegotiation next year.

Seacrest had reportedly already begun talking to producers by June 12, the day of Sajak’s retirement announcement. The American Idol host quickly became the frontrunner, according to some insiders’ remarks to the reporter that broke the news of Sajak’s retirement.

 

The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.