The longtime 'Wheel of Fortune' host announced his retirement earlier this month.
Longtime game show host and possible fortune teller? It seems Pat Sajak had an inkling that Ryan Seacrest might one day take his job more than a decade ago.
In the wake of the news that Sajak will be retiring from hosting Wheel of Fortune after the forthcoming season -- and that Seacrest will be stepping into his shoes -- a prescient, off-handed quip from back in 2012 has resurfaced.
While the contestants were spinning the wheel to solve the puzzle, one contestant -- Brandon -- landed on a Free Play space, meaning he could guess any letter he wanted. However, it seemed that Sajak accidentally didn't notice what he'd landed on, and corrected him when he asked for an "E."
"Well, you spun the wheel, so you have to ask for a consonant -- oh! You're on a Free Play!" Sajak said, laughing. "You know what? I'm an idiot."
As it turned out, there were several Es in the puzzle, and shortly after, Sajak quietly quipped that "Seacrest is on speed-dial," suggesting who producers might go with if they felt Sajak wasn't up to the job of hosting anymore
Fast-forward over a decade and Seacrest really is taking over after Sajak announced he'd be stepping down after first taking on the gig in 1981.
Sajak, 76, took to Twitter on June 12 to announce that the forthcoming season of the long-running and beloved gameshow will be his final one as host.
"Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last," Sajak wrote. "It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all."
Sajak ended the post by joking, "If nothing else, it’ll keep the clickbait sites busy!"
After a search for a new host was undertaken, Seacrest announced on Tuesday that will be "stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak" beginning in 2024. The 48-year-old television personality also shared in the announcement that longtime Wheel of Fortune letter-turner Vanna White will be staying on as his cohort.
"I can say, along with the rest of America, that it's been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them," Seacrest wrote, in part. "I can't wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White."
Check out the video below to hear more.
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