Pat Sajak, 76, broke his silence about Ryan Seacrest replacing him as the host of Wheel of Fortune, in a new tweet on Twitter. The longtime main face of the popular game show said he’ll be “handing over the car keys” to the 48-year-old former Live With Kelly and Ryan cohost in a little over a year and looks forward to being the host for one final season. The new episodes will start this fall.
“I’m looking forward to my final season starting this fall, and then handing over the car keys to Ryan Seacrest in September of 2024.”
— Pat Sajak (@PatOnWheel) June 28, 2023
“I’m looking forward to my final season starting this fall, and then handing over the car keys to Ryan Seacrest in September of 2024,” Pat’s tweet, which was posted on June 28, read. It received a lot of responses from fans who wished him well and called him “the best.”
Pat’s message comes one day after it was publicly announced that Ryan would be stepping up as the new host of Wheel of Fortune. “I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak,” Ryan said in a statement released by Sony Pictures Television, which he also shared on Twitter. “I can say, along with the rest of America, that it’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna [White] on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them.”
“Pat, I love the way you’ve always celebrated the contestants and made viewers at home feel at ease,” he added. “I look forward to learning everything I can from you during this transition.”
Ryan ended his message by mentioning how he started off his successful career on another game show 25 years ago. “Many people probably don’t know this but one of my first jobs was hosting a little game 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,” he said. “I can’t wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White.“