On Tuesday, Ryan Seacrest announced that he will take over as the new host of Wheel of Fortune. This comes three weeks after the current host, Pat Sajak, announced he will retire. 

Seacrest shared the news on his Twitter account stating, “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.”

He included some praise for Sajack as well, “Pat, I love the way you’ve always celebrated the contestants and made viewers at home feel at ease. I look forward to learning everything I can from you during this transition.”

Secrest ended the post by saying, “Many people probably don’t know this but one of my first jobs was hosting a little games 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 transition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White.” 

Sajack has not retired yet and plans on hosting the show for one more season which will be the 41th for the show and begins in September. After this, he will stay on Wheel of Fortune as a consultant for the next three years. 

White will stay on the show as a co-host, but she has not spoken publicly about her plans for retirement. She is currently renegotiating her contract with Sony and is requesting a pay increase, but no deal has been reached yet. 

White currently makes $3 million per year while Sajack has been making three times that amount. In addition to this, White has not received a raise in 18 years, but only a few bonuses since she has been on the job.

Seacrest will take over for the show’s season 42 starting next fall.

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Article by Nina Hauswirth

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