- 1440 Daily Digest
Seacrest to Spin the Wheel
Sony Pictures announced yesterday that Ryan Seacrest, the longtime face of the singing contest "American Idol," will replace the outgoing Pat Sajak as host of the iconic game show "Wheel of Fortune." The news comes two weeks after Sajak announced his retirement. Seacrest will begin hosting duties in 2024.
"Wheel of Fortune," a separate brain-child of "Jeopardy!"-creator Merv Griffin, is the world's longest-running syndicated—that is, licensed to various networks—game show. At one time, it held the top-rated syndicated television spot for 26 years straight. Originally a Los Angeles weather forecaster (watch history), the 76-year-old Sajak began hosting the show in 1981 alongside famous puzzle-revealer Vanna White, going on to win three Emmy awards and 19 nominations. Sajak is expected to continue as a consultant for the show.
Seacrest, 48, ended his six-year run on ABC's "Live with Kelly and Ryan" in April (see bio) but will continue as the host of Idol and cohost of the "New Year's Rockin' Eve" special, among others. Read about "Wheel of Fortune's" greatest snafus here.