As beloved gameshow host Pat Sajak sails into the Wheel of Fortune sunset, his replacement has been announced.
Ryan Seacrest — a Hollywood staple on red carpets and behind the mic — will be the next host to take control of the famous wheel.
Sajak, 76, announced his retirement earlier this month, after 40 years on the syndicated game show.
“Well, the time has come,” Sajak tweeted. “I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last.
“It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. (If nothing else, it’ll keep the clickbait sites busy!)”
Seacrest will take over duties in the 2024-25 season.
“I can’t wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White,” the American Idol host wrote on Twitter, sharing that one of his first-ever jobs was hosting a Merv Griffin gameshow called Click.
In a statement to People magazine, Suzanne Prete, the executive vice-president of game shows at Sony Pictures Television, said Sajak will stay on in a three-year stint as a consultant for Wheel of Fortune.
“As the host of Wheel of Fortune, Pat has entertained millions of viewers across America for 40 amazing years,” Prete said earlier this month. “We are incredibly grateful and proud to have had Pat as our host for all these years and we look forward to celebrating his outstanding career throughout the upcoming season. Pat has agreed to continue as a consultant on the show for three years following his last year hosting, so we’re thrilled to have him remaining close to the Wheel of Fortune family!”
Sajak has been the Wheel of Fortune host since 1981. The following year, his iconic co-host Vanna White joined the production to operate the gameshow board and reveal letters as they’re guessed by contestants.
White has one more year remaining on her current contract.
In an interview with Good Morning America in 2019, Sajak discussed a health scare that ruined his perfect attendance record for gameshow tapings. Though a blocked intestine and low blood pressure kept him from filming Wheel of Fortune at the time, Sajak said he’d like to remain the game show’s host for as long as he can.
“I’ve gotta do this until — you know — I’m doddering,” he said. “I think I still do it at a high level. But you know, I can’t do it another 40 years, I know that, because I’d be 110, and that would be a record.”
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Michelle Butterfield
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