Pat Sajak shares final statement on Wheel of Fortune exit and ‘saying goodbye’ – but does not mention Ryan Seacrest
PAT Sajak has shared one last goodbye as he prepares to officially pass the Wheel of Fortune hosting baton to Ryan Seacrest.
Pat, 77, penned a message on X today ahead of the last night of summer reruns, and as Ryan, 49, becomes the new host of the main show.
Pat Sajak – seen here hosting Wheel of Fortune – shared a statement on officially retiringgetty
Pat Sajak wrote on X that having streaming services means ‘never having to say goodbye’
ABCRyan Seacrest is seen here hosting Wheel of Fortune as he replaces Pat on Monday[/caption]
Pat, who retired from Wheel of Fortune in June, shared his thoughts on officially being done hosting.
Tonight marks the last evening he’ll be on TV as host in the form of summer reruns.
“This is the last night of summer reruns, although having cable and streaming services means never having to say goodbye. Looking forward to Season 5 of @celebritywof on @ABCNetwork this fall, as well as what’s coming next.”
Pat mentioned he would still be on-screen via on-demand and that he would still technically host the game show one last time.
He’s joining Vanna White, 67, for the upcoming Celebrity Wheel of Fortune season despite having retired from the main show to fulfill his contract.
The post did not mention Ryan, hype fans up for his hosting debut, or tell people to tune in to see him.
The American Idol fixture takes the stage on the nightly show starting this Monday, September 9.
‘WON’T BE THE SAME!’
Fans flooded the comments section, sharing they’ll miss seeing Pat on-screen.
“I will never watch the new WoF. It’s not the same without you. I’ll just watch reruns!” one person replied.
“Next week still won’t be the same without you,” wrote another.
“Won’t be the same but willing to give Ryan a chance,” wrote a third.
“Thanks for all the great years of hosting,” wrote a fourth. “And for being the funniest ex-game show host of all time.”
Pat’s message is exceedingly rare, as he’s only posted three times since his retirement announcement.
On June 12, 2023, the host of 41 years announced he was stepping down on the platform.
“Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. (If nothing else, it’ll keep the clickbait sites busy!).”
Ryan Seacrest's Current Jobs
Ryan Seacrest is quite the workaholic, with the Hollywood multiphenate juggling perhaps more ongoing jobs than any other A-lister:
-Host of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve on ABC
-Host of American Top 40 on KIIS-FM
-Host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest on KIIS-FM
-Host of American Idol since its very first season in 2001
-Host of Wheel of Fortune as of 2024
Ryan has exited many previous roles in the past few years to get where he is today, including as an executive producer of Hulu’s The Kardashians and co-host of Live! with Kelly and Mark.
Hard work pays off; according to Celebrity Net Worth, Ryan’s worth a fortune of $450 million
‘FINAL SPIN’
Earlier this week, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune announced its premiere date, with Pat getting one last hurrah as host.
The special will return on October 14, 2024 on ABC and Hulu and air weekly afterward.
The iconic game show announced the big news on Wednesday with a poster on Instagram.
Vanna, 67, is seen beaming alongside Pat, 77 as they team up one last time.
Above them is a puzzle board that reads: “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Returns.”
The caption confirmed this was the last time Pat would host in any capacity.
“It’s the final spin for Pat Sajak as host when Celebrity Wheel of Fortune premieres October 14 at 8/7c on ABC and Stream on Hulu,” the caption reads.
Longtime fans were initially confused by the announcement, believing Pat had left the game show for good.
As part of his contract, Pat had one more year of hosting duties on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune to fulfill.
After this season of Celebrity Wheel, it’s all but certain Ryan will host the special going forward.
Meanwhile, while Pat will otherwise no longer be hosting, he’ll still be close by, serving as a supervising producer for the next three years.
ABCCelebrity Wheel of Fortune with Pat Sajak and Vanna White returns on October 14[/caption]
Pat Sajak is seen beaming while filming his last-ever shows to fulfill his contract
RYAN TAKES THE WHEEL
Ryan debuts as host of syndicated Wheel of Fortune on Monday, September 9, and will be on-screen every weeknight after that.
Ryan is well into taping Season 42 of WoF, his first as the new host alongside TV royalty Vanna.
Ryan is not just a fill-in and has signed a contract “through the 2030s,” The New York Times reported.
The New York Times also shared earlier this week how Ryan is differentiating himself from Pat as host.
Unlike Pat, Ryan doesn’t use cue cards. Instead, the TV workaholic memorizes every contestant’s info when introducing them.
“He has already brought a new energy to the set,” the outlet wrote. “He can break into a salsa dance. He moves easily around the stage.
“And he does not require index cards – one of Mr. Sajak’s hallmarks – when he introduces each new contestant.”
During his record-breaking tenure as the longest game show host in history, Pat famously carried a stack of index cards for the show’s interview segment.
Before getting into the game, Pat relied on the cue cards to learn about the contestants and dig into their personal lives.
A studio source also told The U.S. Sun that Ryan’s host style is also vastly different from Pat’s.
“Ryan is simply not doing the low-key version of the show that Pat did,” the source said.
“He’s brought every bit of his ‘hype-beast’ morning radio and New Year’s Eve energy to the production of his first episodes.
“It’s a pretty big shift and an obvious grab for a younger generation of viewers than Pat had.
“Ryan just makes the whole Wheel experience feel hipper, faster and less sleepy than the version of the show that Pat did for all those years.”
While the gameplay will remain the same, Ryan “is a master of memorization and doesn’t rely on the teleprompter remotely as much as Pat did.”
“God knows how many old episodes of Wheel he watched, but he really prepared for this gig.”
WHEEL DIFFERENT
Of course, with new host Ryan comes a host of changes, including an all-new set.
The stage is now blue-toned with a golden wagon-wheel pattern, and Vanna has a new laser-controlled puzzle board which she recently called “crazy.”
The board’s border is rounded and golden – a throwback to the show’s design from the 1980s and early 1990s.
“It’s kind of an homage to the 1980s when people got introduced to the show,” Pat’s daughter Maggie Sajak said on Inside Edition, confirming it is purposefully a retro design.
“So I think there’s something really nostalgic but a lot of really modern, fresh elements.”
Fans will see all the changes in full force when the new season premieres, as the show has been careful not to tease too much.
That said, the iconic centerpiece wheel isn’t changing —the same one has been used for 20 years.
“There is no other wheel,” Suzanne Prete, the head of game shows at Sony, told NYT.
‘WHAT MAKES THE SHOW’
As Ryan nears his premiere, he also told the Times that he’s valuing the show’s traditions.
“Honestly, if there’s a through line to all of the things that I do, I’m really not the center of attention,” he shared.
“At American Idol, it’s about the contestant. On the radio, we’re playing songs. With New Year’s Eve, it’s the ball. On Wheel, it’s the game.”
He also said he appreciates walking out and being announced as the “star” of the show alongside Vanna.
“It’s such an old school thing,” Ryan said. “No one says that anymore.
“Those classic, vintage, old-school things about this show are what make this show.”
Season 42 of Wheel of Fortune premieres Monday, September 9, at 7 pm Eastern.
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