For four decades, Pat Sajak has been the go-to man if you wanna buy a vowel. Earlier this month, after announcing he will be retiring from Wheel of Fortune and that next season will be his last, it became clear that there will be a new host in town in the fall of 2024. Now, we know just who the new vowel-seller is.
The announcement follows some ongoing news with Vanna White; fans have been rallying to her side since the recent passing of her father, and because it’s being reported that her job might be in jeopardy (reference to that other game show intended). As it turns out, it might be more accurate to say that her job could be phased out entirely, despite Vanna having hosted some recent episodes — with Pat Sajak’s daughter, Maggie, filling in for her as letter-turner. In any case, Vanna is not the new host.
That title now belongs to Ryan Seacrest. A veteran host of every other TV show you have likely ever watched, he might be pretty qualified for the gig — though he doesn’t exactly have a lot of game-show experience (who does?). The Wheel with Ryan will start to tape next year (no, we don’t think they will go with our suggested title).
Ryan made the official announcement on social media, expressing his gratitude that he will, indeed, be the new host of Wheel of Fortune.
Ryan wrote, “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 write at home with them.”
Seacrest, 48, added a little tidbit that he did, in fact, work on a game show once before. “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.”
There are still questions to be answered, however, that can’t be solved in puzzle format. For instance, will Vanna White stick around? Will Maggie Sajak take over for Vanna White? Will inflation force the show to also sell consonants?!
One has to imagine that Pat Sajak’s final show has the chance to be the most watched Wheel in a while. Additionally, Seacrest’s first episode will certainly gain viewers, and it wouldn’t be surprisining to see a slight change or two to the show — in addition to the host, of course.
