Wheel of Fortune has its succession plan in place for when longtime host Pat Sajak retires.
Ryan Seacrest will take over as host of the syndicated game show beginning with the 2024-25 season. Sajak announced his retirement as host on June 12, saying that “The time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. It’s been a wonderful ride.”
“We are ecstatic to have Ryan as the next host of Wheel of Fortune,” said Ravi Ahuja, chairman of global television studios at Sony Pictures. “Ryan loves Wheel as much as we do and is the perfect person to continue the show’s four-decade success into the future.”
The longtime American Idol host will take the reins of one of the most popular shows in syndication; Wheel of Fortune averaged about 9 million daily viewers in the 2022-23 season. Co-host Vanna White, meanwhile, has a year remaining on her current contract.
“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,” Seacrest said in a statement. “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. I can’t wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White.”
Added Suzanne Prete, executive vp game shows at Sony Pictures Television, “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Pat and Vanna for many years, witnessing their effortless ability to bring joy and humor to Wheel of Fortune for decades. Pat has been an incredible host and helped build the show into the success it is today. While Ryan has some big shoes to fill, I’m confident he will connect with our loyal fan base and excite a whole new audience as we expand upon the show’s great legacy. I couldn’t be more thrilled.”
Sajak and White have hosted the syndicated Wheel of Fortune since its debut in 1983; he also hosted a daytime version of the game show on NBC from 1981-89. Sajak and White also host ABC’s Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, whose fourth season is slated for the fall.
Seacrest earlier this year wrapped up a six-year run as co-host of the daytime talk show Live With Kelly and Ryan. In addition to American Idol, he hosts and executive produces ABC’s annual New Year’s Rockin’ Eve special and iHeartMedia’s syndicated radio shows On Air With Ryan Seacrest and American Top 40. He is repped by Jeff Refold, COO and CFO of Ryan Seacrest Enterprises, Jay Sures at UTA, and Jonathan West at Latham & Watkins LLP, all of whom negotiated the Wheel of Fortune deal.
Source: Hollywood
