Well, that was fast. Ryan Seacrest has officially confirmed that he will be taking over as the new host of Wheel of Fortune following Pat Sajak‘s retirement. Seacrest announced the news on Instagram, where he also seemingly confirmed reports that Vanna White was negotiating to stay on the show, but only if she gets a big raise.
“I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak,” Seacrest wrote. “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. Pat, I love the way you’ve always celebrated the contestants and made viewers at home feel at ease. I look forward to learning everything I can from you during this transition.”
“Many people probably don’t know this but one of my first jobs was hosting a little game show called ‘Click’ for Merv Griffin 25 years ago,” Seacrest continued. “So this is truly a full circle moment for me and I’m grateful to Sony for the opportunity. Can’t wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White.”
The fast turnaround of hiring Seacrest stands in stark contrast to the hosting debacle that engulfed Jeopardy! following the death of longtime beloved host Alex Trebek. Clearly, Wheel of Fortune producers watched that situation unfold and went, “Yeah, let’s not do that.”