Ryan Seacrest is taking over hosting duties from Pat Sajak for 'Wheel of Fortune' season 42 while Vanna White will remain as hostess.
Everyone tuned in to Wheel of Fortune to say goodbye to Pat Sajak.
And when we say everyone, we mean it. Sajak's final episode as host delivered the highest viewership for Wheel of Fortune in over four years and 1,072 episodes, with 11.03 million viewers tuning in for his farewell.
The 77-year-old's final episode, which was filmed this April and aired June 7, achieved Wheel of Fortune’s largest viewership since April 29, 2020. It was the most watched telecast for the week among homes, with a 6.22 rating, and total viewers, versus all broadcast, cable and syndicated programming (excluding sports). His goodbye also fueled a stellar weekly performance, with all five of his final episodes landing in the top 15 telecasts for the week among homes and total viewers.
Sajak announced his retirement from Wheel of Fortune in June 2023 after serving as the game show's host for 41 seasons. Since his final episode aired, Sajak has turned his hosting duties over to his replacement, Ryan Seacrest, who also announced a year ago that he would be taking the wheel. In his announcement, the 49-year-old television personality shared that Vanna White, 67, would remain as hostess.
"I'm so excited! She's beloved by this nation, she is just such an important part of the show. She has been for so many years," Seacrest told ET in September 2023. "I'm honored to be on stage with her soon."
Seacrest will officially take over as host in season 42 and will also serve as consulting producer on the show. Both Seacrest and White sweetly paid tribute to Sajak when he left. Seacrest told ET in April that they would "start taping for next fall" as soon as he finished season 22 of American Idol, which ended in May.
"We're gonna get a chance to know each other on camera," Seacrest shared of White to ET. "But we met over 10 years ago, so it's gonna be fun."
Meanwhile, Sajak revealed his post-Wheel plans earlier this month. In addition to playing with his grandchildren, Sajak has a new gig lined up. The TV personality will star in a new take on Prescription: Murder. Sajak is set to act opposite Joe Moore in the play, which will run from July 31 to Aug. 10, 2025 at Honolulu's Hawaii Theatre.
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