Ryan Seacrest has been named as the new host of Wheel Of Fortune just weeks after longtime host Pat Sajak announced his retirement.
The 48-year-old media personality confirmed the happy news that he will take over from the 76-year-old host when he released a statement on social media on Tuesday.
He will begin his reign in 2024 after Sajak’s 41st season as he wrote, ‘I am truly humbled to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak.
“I can say, like the rest of America, it has been a privilege and sheer joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them.”
Seacrest then wrote a personal message to the show’s longtime frontman.
In the saddle: Ryan Seacrest has been named as the new host of Wheel Of Fortune just weeks after longtime host Pat Sajak announced his retirement
‘I am really humbled’: The 48-year-old media personality confirmed the happy news that he will be taking over from the 76-year-old host, as he posted a statement on social media on Tuesday
He said, “Pat, I love the way you’ve always celebrated the contestants and made the viewers feel comfortable at home. / Oh, I look forward to learning all about you during this transition.”
This comes two weeks after Sajak announced that he is retiring from Wheel of Fortune after more than four decades.
“Well, the time has come,” the popular host, 76, said in a tweet Monday. “I have decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last.
He continued, “It has been a great ride and I will have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to all of you. (If nothing else, it keeps the clickbait sites busy!)’
A tweet from the long-running game show read, “Thank you to the best host in the biz. Wheel of Fortune wouldn’t be what it is today without you, Pat. I look forward to Season 41 being better than ever!’
According to iMDb Monday, Sajak has hosted 7748 episodes of the series’ nightly edition from 1983–2023 to date.
The latest: This comes two weeks after Sajak announced he is retiring from Wheel of Fortune after more than four decades
Details: Sajak made the announcement Monday afternoon on his Twitter page
Sajak’s longtime costar on the hit game show, Vanna White, 66, had not discussed his departure from the series on her Instagram or Twitter accounts as of Monday afternoon.
Suzanne Prete, executive vice president of game shows for Sony Pictures Television, released a statement saying, “As the host of Wheel of Fortune, Pat has entertained millions of viewers across America for 40 amazing years.
“We are incredibly grateful and proud to have had Pat as our host all these years and we look forward to celebrating his outstanding career in the upcoming season.”
Prete said that Sajak has “agreed to continue as an advisor to the show for three years after his senior year as host,” adding, “We’re thrilled to have him staying close to the Wheel of Fortune family!”
Sajak has hosted the night edition of the show with White since 1983. He started hosting the daytime series from 1981, leaving that edition to host his own late night series in 1989. The daytime edition was canceled in 1991.
A tweet from the long-running game show confirmed the host’s imminent departure from the series
The veteran TV personalities were featured as the host of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune in early 2020
Sajak has been a consistent presence on the long-running series throughout his four decades at the helm, rarely missing a show
Sajak and longtime costar Vanna White have appeared on the nighttime edition of the game show since 1983. Pictured in the 1980s
Sajak and White were photographed together in Las Vegas at a 1995 TV convention
In 2011, Sajak received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Daytime Emmys for his work on the TV staple
He has been nominated 22 times for Daytime Emmys for his hosting efforts on the series and its spin-offs, winning three times. In 2011, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on the TV staple.
Sajak has been a consistent presence on the long-running series throughout his four decades at the helm, rarely missing a show.
In one instance in November 1996 when he was suffering from strep throat, he and White switched jobs for the episode.
He had to take a break from recording in November 2019 when he had emergency intestinal surgery, with White filling in as host