‘Wheel of Fortune’ Host Ryan Seacrest is the new host.
‘Wheel of Fortune’ Host Ryan Seacrest is the new host.
The shrewd Hollywood master of ceremonies Ryan Seacrest was announced on Tuesday as “Wheel of Fortune”‘s new host, taking over for Pat Sajak in 2024.
The fact that the show’s creator, Sony Pictures Television, chose a celebrity like Mr. Seacrest is a significant wager on “Wheel of Fortune.” Even as traditional television has fallen as a result of streaming entertainment, the show has shown amazing tenacity.
The quick decision by Sony officials, taken only two weeks after Mr. Sajak declared he would retire the following year, also shows that they are attempting to avoid the succession crisis that almost brought down their other popular game show, “Jeopardy!”
According to a source with knowledge of the talks who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Vanna White, Mr. Sajak’s longstanding “Wheel of Fortune” co-host, is now in talks to extend her contract for an additional year.
In a statement, Mr. Seacrest said, “I’m really humbled to be following in the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak. “I can’t wait to carry on the wheel-spinning tradition and collaborate with the great Vanna White.”
Mr. Seacrest will be put to the test in replacing Mr. Sajak because Mr. Sajak is a host who is practically synonymous with the programme, much like Bob Barker was with “The Price Is Right” or Alex Trebek with “Jeopardy!”
Early in the 1980s, Mr. Sajak, a former Los Angeles weatherman, and Ms. White joined “Wheel of Fortune” and helped make the programme a huge success. The “Wheel of Fortune” quickly gave rise to board games, video games, casino slots, and eventually a prime-time offshoot called “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.”
At its peak in the 1980s, “Wheel of Fortune” had a nightly viewership of more than 40 million viewers, but it no longer has the same place in American culture. Nevertheless, the game show is still one of the most watched entertainment programmes on television.
According to Nielsen, “Wheel of Fortune” averaged 8.6 million viewers each night during the most recent television season, just slightly less than the 9.1 million who watched “Jeopardy!” With the exception of football events, such audiences are almost as large as anything on prime-time television.
One of the most sought-after careers in entertainment is hosting a successful game show, which only takes a few days of labour every month. The new position adds to Mr. Seacrest’s resume, which already includes work as a radio host, red carpet interviewer, competition series host, and master of ceremonies for New Year’s Eve.
After a fruitful six-year stint, Mr. Seacrest left “Live,” the staple morning show he co-hosted with Kelly Ripa, this year. He still serves as the presenter of ABC’s “American Idol,” which, according to Nielsen, attracted more than six million viewers during the most recent television season.
Many people in the entertainment industry believed the search for Mr. Sajak’s replacement may take months when he announced on June 12 that he would be departing the show. However, discussion about the show’s succession started right once, and many “Wheel of Fortune” fans urged Ms. White to take over as host on social media. Puck stated that she was in contract talks for a new “Wheel of Fortune” gig last week.
The fact that Joy Behar mentioned Whoopi Goldberg’s interest in hosting “Wheel of Fortune” on “The View” two weeks ago serves as further evidence of how highly sought-after the post is among famous entertainers.
Ms. Goldberg said unequivocally, “I want that job,” to the applause of the studio audience. It would be a lot of fun, in my opinion.
Sony sent out a revolving cast of potential “Jeopardy!” successors after Mr. Trebek passed away in 2020, who took over as guest hosts for a week or two at a period. Mike Richards, the show’s executive producer, would take over as “Jeopardy!”‘s host, Sony revealed in 2021.
But within a few days, it was revealed that Mr. Richards had made a number of derogatory and sexist comments in the past. As a result of the public outcry, he was fired from his positions as the show’s host and executive producer. It took Sony almost another year to declare Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik as “Jeopardy!”‘s new permanent hosts.
The turmoil surrounding “Jeopardy!” has significantly subsided over the past year, and the programme has maintained its high ratings.
On “The View” two weeks ago, Mr. Jennings was questioned about Mr. Sajak’s replacement.
Mr. Jennings remarked, “That’s an interesting question,” adding, “Hopefully, ‘Wheel’ has got an envelope somewhere that says, ‘What to do when Pat packs it in.'”
