Who was the original host of ‘Wheel of Fortune?’

It’s the end of an era. Pat Sajak has announced that the upcoming season of Wheel of Fortune will be his last as host. The announcement came through Sajak’s Twitter account, with the famed entertainer writing, “It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all!”

Sajak has had a historic forty-year run on Wheel of Fortune. In September 2022, he surpassed Price is Right host Bob Barker as the longest-running host of any game show in TV history.

Sajak’s replacement has yet to be named, but longtime fans of Wheel of Fortune may be curious about his predecessor, and how long their tenure was. Sajak has been at it for so long, in fact, that his predecessor was the original host of the show!

Who hosted Wheel of Fortune before Pat Sajak?

The man who first told America how to spin the wheel was Chuck Woolery. He may not be a household name to modern audiences, but Woolery was a name and a face that Hollywood got well-acquainted with in the 1970s. He got his start as a musician, recording as both a solo artist and with the band The Avant-Garde, but a chance appearance on The Tonight Show caught the attention of Merv Griffin, who felt that the Woolery had an engaging personality.

Griffin was best known as the host of The Merv Griffin Show, but he also worked extensively behind-the-scenes. He was the creator and producer of Wheel of Fortune, which he based on the children’s game hangman, and he cherry-picked Woolery to be his host. The show premiered on January 6, 1975 and was an overnight sensation. Woolery was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Host or Hostess in a Game or Audience Participation Show in 1978, and his increased profile led to supporting roles in films like The Treasure of Jamaica Reef (1975) and Cold Feet (1989).

It was all running smoothly until Woolery voiced dissatisfaction with his hosting salary in 1981 according to The Hollywood Reporter. He demanded a substantial raise in pay that would fall in line with the amount that peers like Richard Dawson and Bob Barker were taking home at the time. The two parties were unable to come to a deal and Woolery’s contract was not renewed at the end of the 1981 season, and he was promptly replaced by Sajak.

Fortunately, Woolery was able to parlay his fame into other gigs. He became one of the most prolific game show hosts of the 1980s, thanks to his simultaneous work on Love Connection and Scrabble. He hosted the former from 1983 to 1994, and the latter from 1984 to 1990. He even returned for the Scrabble revival in 1993. 

Woolery didn’t slow down in the 21st century. He hosted Greed (1999-2000) for one season on FOX and then transitioned to a lengthier stint on Lingo (2002-07) for the Game Show Network. His last hosting role on TV was for the game show Think Like a Cat (2008). Woolery has continued to evolve with the entertainment industry, though. He hosted the radio show Save Us Chuck Woolery from 2012 to 2014, and launched the podcast Blunt Force Truth as soon as the radio show wrapped. The podcast is still going strong, and the host remains spry as ever at 82.

Woolery may not have the record-breaking pedigree of Pat Sajak, but Woolery remains one of the most tireless and consistent hosts in modern media. He’s been at it for six decades, which is amazing by any metric.