Wheel Of Fortune Announces Familiar Name To Replace Pat Sajak As Host
Ryan Seacrest will step in front of the "Wheel of Fortune" board in Pat Sajak's stead.
On June 12, Sajak revealed that he plans to step down after the 2023-2024 season of the long-running game show — and now, we know that Seacrest, TV host extraordinaire, will be replacing him. ""I'm truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak," Seacrest said in a statement obtained by outlets including The Hollywood Reporter. "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."
Seems like Seacrest's new home with Sony Pictures, who produces "Wheel of Fortune," is excited as well; their chairman of global TV, Ravi Ahuja, told outlets, "We are ecstatic to have Ryan as the next host of Wheel of Fortune. Ryan loves Wheel as much as we do and is the perfect person to continue the show's four-decade success into the future."
Ryan Seacrest is a well-established TV host and producer
It's pretty easy to see why the powers that be at Sony would choose someone like Seacrest to steer the "Wheel of Fortune" ship after Sajak exits the show. You probably know Seacrest as the host of, well, almost everything; he just recently wrapped up his co-hosting gig alongside Kelly Ripa on "Live with Kelly and Ryan," and he's also hosted "On Air with Ryan Seacrest," "American Top 40," and, of course, "American Idol," where he really rose to fame.
Since 2012, Seacrest has also served as the producer and host of "Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve," which still bears the star's name even after his passing that same year, so viewers are used to him ringing in the festivities with them each and every year. Now, with a show on every night right after "Jeopardy," Seacrest will be even more visible than before.
You can still catch Sajak on "Wheel of Fortune" until 2024, at which point Seacrest will step in and start asking contestants if they want to buy a vowel.