‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Pat Sajak Snubs Ryan Seacrest In Farewell
Season 42 of Wheel Of Fortune is about the kickoff and beloved host Pat Sajak has officially signed off. The game show legend first announced his retirement in June of 2023. Shortly after, it was confirmed that American Idol host Ryan Seacrest would take his place. Now, Pat has shared a farewell message with fans and has notably left out any mention of his successor. Keep reading to see what he said.
Pat Sajak Snubs Ryan Seacrest In Goodbye Message
Pat Sajak shared one final goodbye to Wheel Of Fortune fans as he handed off the hosting duties to Ryan Seacrest. However, in his farewell message, he didn’t mention the new game show host once.
The 77-year-old wrote a message to fans on X on Friday. He wrote, “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.”
Fans will be able to see Pat Sajak’s final episodes hosting Celebrity Wheel Of Fortune this fall, but his return is only temporary. He took on the celebrity spin-off to fulfill his contract terms.
Wheel Of Fortune Ratings Are Low & Depend On Ryan
A source close to the Wheel Of Fortune production said that Ryan Seacrest is aiming to “ditch” some of Pat’s traditions on the game show. The American Idol host is under a lot of pressure to improve ratings. Since Pat Sajak’s exit, viewership has plummeted.
“Ryan’s trying to sugarcoat this and say it’s good news, that the only way is up since Pat [Sajak’s] ratings are down,” an insider told Closer Weekly. “But the bosses are worried it’s a trend that might not be automatically reversible just by hiring a new host.”
The source continued, “So, Ryan’s under enormous pressure from day one to deliver on the massive salary they’re paying him, not to mention the huge money they invested by giving Vanna her big raise.”
The last episode featuring Pat Sajak aired on June 7. During the month of July, ratings took a serious dip and the game show gave up its spot to Family Feud.
It has been revealed that if the ratings for Wheel Of Fortune don’t improve, the blame will fall on Ryan Seacrest. The source stated that Ryan knows he’ll be the “scapegoat” and it has made the transition stressful for him.
On top of that, Vanna White isn’t being any help to Ryan. “She can just sit back and wait for Ryan to fall on his face,” the source stated. After all, she’d be the “obvious replacement” if things don’t work out for him on Wheel and fans would love to see her in the position.
However, Vanna White fully intends to leave Wheel Of Fortune after her current contract is up. It is difficult for her to do the show without Pat, and she’s ready to move on.
Ryan Seacrest will make his Wheel Of Fortune debut on Monday, September 9.
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