I’m Ryan Seacrest.
Chris Patey/CBSRyan Seacrest is ready to turn the wheel – and take control Pat Sajak‘s hosting duties — with the premiere of the 42nd season of Wheel of Fortune.
“We’re going to have some special surprises and maybe some fancy cash giveaways for the premiere week,” 49-year-old Seacrest said exclusively We weekly at the lighting of the Wheel of Fortune Ferris wheel in Santa Monica, California, last month and stressed: “Wheel of Fortune will be Wheel of Fortune.”
Seacrest joked that viewers “can expect” him to take over as host, a big change after 77-year-old Sajak led the game show for more than 40 years, claiming that “not much else has changed” this season.
“The show is so well known for what it is, what it does and how it makes people feel that nothing really changes,” he said, revealing: “I think Vanna (White) may have a new carpet or something under her puzzle board.”
Media king. Ryan Seacrest has dominated the entertainment industry for more than two decades – both in front of and behind the camera. Born in Atlanta in 1974, the Emmy-winning producer began his first radio internship while still in high school. After graduating, he studied journalism at the University of Georgia, but dropped out (…)
White, 67, confirmed that season 42 will see “new ground” but fans will still get to see the show they have known and loved for decades.
“We have a new set, but it’s just an updated set,” she said Us. “You won’t feel like it’s a new show at all. You know, the puzzle board is still there, the wheel is still there. It’ll be a nice little revamp.”
Seacrest joked that redesigning the set wasn’t the only thing he had to get used to as the show’s new host. He said Us that the iconic wheel that the contestants spin in each episode was not what he expected when he got his hands on it.
“For me, the wheel was harder than I thought it would be,” Seacrest revealed. “I see contestants who can go up there and really throw the wheel around. I’m pretty impressed by it. Sometimes I almost want to comment on it while I’m hosting the show.”
He confessed that when he tried to turn it, he only got “six wedges,” which he didn’t like. “It didn’t really turn halfway,” Seacrest said Us.
Seacrest Wheel of Fortune The debut on Monday, September 9, marks the beginning of a new era for the game show. Sajak announced in June 2023 that season 41 of the series would be his last after more than four decades at the helm. His final episode aired on June 7. (Sajak was the second host of Wheel of Fortunetook over the leadership in 1981 after the original presenter Chuck Woolery resigned.)
Wheel of Fortune has entertained countless viewers since it first aired in 1975 – but with time comes mistakes. Since its inception, the game show has had contestants solving word puzzles to win cash and other prizes. Pat Sajak has hosted the show since 1981 and has received 19 Daytime Emmy nominations and (…)
“It’s been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes night after night, year after year, decade after decade,” Sajak told the audience in his farewell show. “And I’ve always felt that with that privilege comes a responsibility to make that daily half hour a safe place for family fun. No social issues, no politics, nothing embarrassing, I hope. Just a game.”
During almost the entire career of Sajak Wheel of FortuneWhite was by his side, turning the letters on the giant board and traveling to the fun locations of the series.
Pat Sajak and Vanna White have always been the ultimate example of chemistry between the two hosts – but their fate on Wheel of Fortune could have been very different. “I didn’t recommend Vanna, and Vanna knows that,” Sajak told CBS Sunday Morning in 2020, reflecting on White’s audition nearly four decades ago. “Not that she wasn’t adorable (…)
White joined the show in 1982 and signed a new two-year contract in September 2023 to work with Seacrest through the 2025-2026 season.
“Over the last few months, we’ve been traveling together for the show and getting to know each other a little better, so I think our chemistry is good,” White said of Seacrest during an appearance on CBS Sunday Morning Beginning of the month.
Wheel of Fortune Season 42 premieres on Monday, September 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
With reporting by Mariel Turner
