On June 12, 2023, game show host Pat Sajak announced that he would be stepping away from his hosting role at “Wheel of Fortune” in the near future. The upcoming season of the show, which starts filming in September, will be his final season of the show.
Just a few years ago, another popular game show had to replace their host. When Alex Trebek died, “Jeopardy!” went through a very long process in order to replace the legendary game show host, and in the end, the person they picked walked away from the job, forcing the show’s producers to decide on a different host.
The process of picking a host for “Wheel of Fortune” is not nearly as dramatic as it was for “Jeopardy!” In fact, just two weeks after Sajak announced he would be leaving the show, “Wheel” has already announced his replacement – Ryan Seacrest.
In a statement on Instagram, “Wheel of Fortune” wrote, “It’s official! Starting in 2024 @ryanseacrest will take the stage as the new host of Wheel of Fortune. We’re so excited – Welcome Ryan!”
In a statement, Seacrest said, “I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak. 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.” He added, “Pat, I love the way you’ve always celebrated the contestants and made viewers at home feel at ease. I look forward to learning everything I can from you during this transition.”
Seacrest went on to explain that hosting “Wheel” feels “full circle” for him. He explained, “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.”
Watch the video below to hear more about this major announcement from “Wheel of Fortune” and to hear more of what Seacrest had to say about hosting the game show.
Are you surprised that Seacrest is going to be the new host of “Wheel of Fortune?” Do you think he’s an appropriate replacement for Sajak?
