Current:Home > FinanceWho will replace Pat Sajak on 'Wheel of Fortune?' Hint: He was 7 when Sajak began hosting. -Capitatum
Who will replace Pat Sajak on 'Wheel of Fortune?' Hint: He was 7 when Sajak began hosting.
Burley Garcia View
Date:2025-04-06 21:34:43
No one will be able to host "Wheel of Fortune" quite like Pat Sajak, but one entertainment veteran is going to give it his best shot.
Ryan Seacrest, who was just 7 years old when Sajak began hosting the long-running word game show in 1981, will replace Sajak after 41 seasons.
The 77-year-old Sajak’s final episode is set to air Friday, June 7 after a week-long series of tributes to the host called “Thanks for the Memories." The beloved game show host first announced his departure from show last June, saying that it had been “a wonderful ride.”
Seacrest, 49, is set to take “the car keys” from Sajak in September.
“I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak,” Seacrest said in a statement at the time. “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.”
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Here’s what we know.
Sony taps Ryan Seacrest to usher in new 'Wheel of Fortune' era
Seacrest calls the return to game show hosting a “full circle moment," writing that he got his start on “Click,” a game show hosted by Merv Griffin in 1997.
“I can’t wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White,” he wrote in 2023.
Seacrest has been in show business for decades, working as an on-camera host for a number of programs, including “Live with Kelly and Ryan," Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest and "American Idol."
He has also hosted a number of events ranging from Oscars red carpets to Olympic games since the late 1990s.
Seacrest told Variety in April that he was working on "studying the rulebook and all of the scenarios that the rulebook has inside of it" to prepare for his gig.
veryGood! (296)
Related
- Connie Chiume, Black Panther Actress, Dead at 72: Lupita Nyong'o and More Pay Tribute
- Lidia dissipates after killing 1, injuring 2 near Mexico resort, Atlantic sees Tropical Storm Sean
- Jada Pinkett Smith says she and Will Smith were separated for 6 years before Oscars slap
- 3 witchy books for fall that offer fright and delight
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- Sex education classes often don’t include LGBTQ+ students. New restrictions could make it worse
- Hamas’ attack on Israel pushes foreign policy into the 2024 race. That could benefit Nikki Haley
- Mary Lou Retton, U.S. Olympic icon, fighting a 'very rare' form of pneumonia
- Small twin
- House Republicans select Steve Scalise as nominee for next speaker
Ranking
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Deion Sanders says Travis Hunter, Colorado's two-way star, cleared to return with protection
- Chinese carmaker Geely and Malaysia’s Proton consider EV plant in Thailand, Thai prime minister says
- Jada Pinkett Smith says she and Will Smith were separated for 6 years before Oscars slap
- Audit: California risked millions in homelessness funds due to poor anti-fraud protections
- What is the Gaza Strip? Here's how big it is and who lives there.
- Vaccine hesitancy affects dog-owners, too, with many questioning the rabies shot
- Scientists Disagree About Drivers of September’s Global Temperature Spike, but It Has Most of Them Worried
Recommendation
Jay Kanter, veteran Hollywood producer and Marlon Brando agent, dies at 97: Reports
Republicans nominate Steve Scalise to be House speaker and will try to unite before a floor vote
Wildlife Photographer of the Year winners show the beauty — and precarity — of nature
'Too dangerous:' Why even Google was afraid to release this technology
Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
Moving on: Behind Nathan Eovaldi gem, Rangers sweep Orioles to reach first ALCS since 2011
Holly Willoughby quits 'This Morning' after man arrested for alleged attempt to murder her
California creates Ebony Alert for missing Black women, children. Here's how it works.