(CNN) — Ryan Seacrest will be the new host of “Wheel of Fortune” in 2024, Sony Pictures Television, the company that produces the contest, announced Tuesday in a press release sent to CNN.
Seacrest has signed a multi-year deal with the show and will also serve as a consulting producer, the statement added.
“I am very honored to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak. I can say, along with the rest of America, that it has been a privilege and a pure joy to see Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel at home with them,” Seacrest said in a statement Tuesday.
“Pat, I love the way you’ve always celebrated the contestants and made the viewers at home feel welcome,” he continued. “I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can from you during this transition. A lot of people probably don’t know this, but one of my first jobs was hosting a little contest called ‘Click for Merv Griffin’ 25 years ago, so this is a time when which brought me full circle and I’m so grateful to Sony for this opportunity. I can’t wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White.”
Sajak announced on June 12 that he will retire in 2024, after hosting “Wheel of Fortune” for decades.
“Well, the time has come. I have decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be our last,” Sajak said in a tweet. He added: “It’s been a wonderful journey, and I’ll have more to share in the coming months. Thank you all so much. (If nothing else, this will keep clickbait sites busy!).”
For 40 years, Sajak and White have been the hosts of the Emmy-winning television show. Both are consolidated as the most veteran presenters of any television show in the contest category.
Seacrest, like Sajak, has a long history as a television and radio host.
He has hosted the ABC singing contest “American Idol” for 21 seasons and co-hosted ABC’s morning show “Live with Kelly and Ryan” with Kelly Ripa. Seacrest has earned several Emmy nominations and two awards for his work.
In addition, Seacrest is the host and producer of Los Angeles’ highest-rated morning radio show for iHeartMedia station 102.7 KIIS-FM, and has previously appeared on E! for various award galas. He has been the host of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” since 2005.
Since Sajak announced his retirement, there has been speculation that Seacrest was the front runner for the beloved host’s job.
Sajak became the host of “Wheel of Fortune” after Chuck Woolery left the show in 1981. Sajak continued his work when “Wheel” became a syndicate in 1983, and has since hosted several spinoff shows, including ” Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” from 2021. The show premiered in 1975.
Sajak won a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 and has won three other Daytime Emmys for his work hosting the beloved show.
“Wheel of Fortune” is a game show similar to “Hangman” in which contestants spin a wheel to win money by solving word puzzles, and has been a mainstay on prime-time television airing alongside “Jeopardy”.
