Big changes are coming to one of America’s most beloved game shows, as longtime Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak announced he will retire following the 2023-24 season. Having held that position for 41 years, Sajak’s name has become synonymous with the series, and his impending exit begs the question of who could possibly step into those shoes? Sources say those behind the scenes of Wheel of Fortune may already have their eye on one candidate, and this choice would make a lot of sense for all parties involved.
Ryan Seacrest has reportedly been talking to producers of the longtime game show, according to Bloomberg, though the reporter tweeted that reports vary as to how far into the process the American Idol host is. According to Lucas Shaw:
One candidate to replace Pat Sajak? Ryan Seacreast. The host has been talking to the producers of Wheel of Fortune. Some sources say he's the frontrunner. Others say he is just one of many interested.
There's no denying Ryan Seacrest’s experience when it comes to hosting, so I’d imagine he’d be able to slide into the Wheel of Fortune job pretty easily, if that is the route they decide to go. In addition to being the face of American Idol, he’s led several radio shows including the American Top 40, hosts Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, and only recently left the weekday morning show he’d co-hosted with Kelly Ripa for six years. This would be a big gain for the syndicated game show in terms of familiarity to its audience.
The move would likely make sense for Ryan Seacrest as well. One of the reasons he left Live with Kelly and Ryan was that it filmed in New York, and the bicoastal lifestyle was a lot to juggle with all of his additional commitments — which include his production company and the pediatric hospitals run by the Ryan Seacrest Foundation. Wheel of Fortune would not have that issue, as it tapes on the West Coast.
The multi-hypenate isn't the only potential follow-up for Pat Sajak, as The View's Whoopi Goldberg voiced her own wishes to take over as Wheel of Fortune's frontwoman in Tuesday's episode with Jeopardy! co-host Ken Jennings as the guest. It's hard to tell just how serious she might have been, as far as whether she'd actually say yes immediately if someone offered it to her, but she might actually be in the running for the gig at some point down the line.
Pat Sajak celebrated four decades with Wheel of Fortune in 2022, and his comments around that milestone seemed to suggest that he’d started to mentally prepare to leave the show. While his co-host Vanna White had trouble with the idea of doing the show without either of them, nobody could really fault the 76-year-old host for wanting to enjoy some of the other things in his life after more than 40 years.
Regardless of if Ryan Seacrest (or Whoopi Goldberg) ends up getting the job or it goes to someone else, I think the most anybody can hope for would be avoid the chaos that surrounded Jeopardy!’s search for a replacement for its own longtime host Alex Trebek after his death in 2020. Hopefully Wheel of Fortune took some lessons away from its sister program’s cautionary tale.
We’ll have to see how it plays out, but for now, fans can continue to see Pat Sajak in his rightful spot. Check your local listings to see when and where Wheel of Fortune airs in your area, and take a look at our 2023 TV schedule to keep up with all of the premieres headed our way soon.
