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 be taking over for the 76-year-old host as 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’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak.
‘I can say, along with the rest of America, that its been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them.’
Seacrest went on to write a personal message to the longtime frontman of the show.
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
He said: ‘Pat, I love the way you’ve always celebrated the contestants and made viewers at home feel at ease./ OI look forward to learning everything I can from, you during this transition.’
This comes two weeks after Sajak announced 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’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last.
He continued: ‘It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. (If nothing else, it’ll keep 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 would not be what it is today without you, Pat. Looking forward to Season 41 being better than ever!’
According to iMDb Monday, Sajak has hosted 7748 episodes of the nighttime edition of the series to date from 1983–2023.
The latest: Pat Sajak, 76, says he is retiring from Wheel of Fortune after more than four decades
Details: Sajak made the announcement on his Twitter page Monday afternoon
Sajak’s longtime costar on the popular game show, Vanna White, 66, had not yet addressed his departure from the series on her Instagram or Twitter accounts as of Monday afternoon.
Suzanne Prete, the executive vice president of game shows for Sony Pictures Television, issued 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 for all these years and we look forward to celebrating his outstanding career throughout the upcoming season.’
Prete said that Sajak ‘has agreed to continue as a consultant on the show for three years following his last year hosting,’ adding, ‘We’re thrilled to have him remaining close to the Wheel of Fortune family!’
Sajak has hosted the nighttime edition of the show with White since 1983. He got his start as host of the daytime series beginning in 1981, exiting 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 pending exit from the series
The veteran TV personalities were seen hosting Celebrity Wheel of Fortune in early 2020
Sajak has been a consistent presence on the long-running series over the duration of his four decades at the helm, rarely missing a show
Sajak and longtime costar Vanna White have been featured on the nighttime edition of the game show since 1983. Pictured in the 1980s
Sajak and White were pictured with one another in Las Vegas at a TV convention in 1995
In 2011, Sajak was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Daytime Emmys for his work on the TV staple
He has been been nominated for Daytime Emmys 22 times for his hosting efforts on the series and its spinoffs, winning three times. In 2011, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on the TV staple.
Sajak has been a consistent presence on the long-running series over the duration of his four decades at the helm, rarely missing a show.
In an instance in November of 1996 when he was battling laryngitis, he and White swapped duties for the episode.
He had to take a break from taping in November of 2019 when he had to undergo an emergency intestinal surgery, with White filling in as host
