Ryan Seacrest is preparing for his new role as host of “Wheel of Fortune.”
While the veteran TV host is aware he has “huge” shoes to fill when he replaces Pat Sajak, Seacrest revealed what he definitely won’t be doing on the popular game show.
“Don’t change anything. Don’t touch it,” Seacrest, 49, told “Good Morning America.”
“WHEEL OF FORTUNE” HOST RYAN SEACREST RELATES TO “WILD” FIRST DAY ON SET: “MY HEART IS SPLITTING”
Ryan Seacrest detailed how he prepared to host “Wheel of Fortune” and revealed what he will not do as Pat Sajak’s successor. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for CBS Media Ventures/Sony Pictures Television)
“This show works, I just need to keep it going. We just need to have fun every night and I believe if that happens, this show will go on for a long time.”
This is not the first time Seacrest has taken on a major hosting role.
The television star also hosted Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. He explained how it felt to take over the legendary host Clark’s place and how similar it was to taking over Sajak’s place as host of “Wheel of Fortune.”
“It’s like an out-of-body feeling for me, having seen Vanna and this show and Pat… what they’ve built with audiences across the country. And what this show means to people every night in their living rooms… their families and generations of people who have seen this show, that’s something very special that doesn’t exist anywhere else.”
Seacrest explained what his experience working with co-host Vanna White has been like so far.
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Seacrest replaced longtime host Pat Sajak after he retired last year. (Instagram by Ryan Seacrest)
“I mean, it’s like an out-of-body experience,” he admitted. “For me, it’s like an out-of-body experience… seeing Vanna and this show and Pat… what they’ve built up with audiences across the country. And what this show means to people every night in their living rooms… their families and generations of people who have seen this show, it’s something very special that you can’t get anywhere else.”
Sajak and White began working together on “Wheel of Fortune” in 1982. Sajak hosted the show and White was in charge of the letterboard.
Sajak and White began working together on “Wheel of Fortune” in 1982. (Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank)
Seacrest, who also hosts “American Idol,” explained in detail how he prepared for his appearance on the game show.
“I’ve watched countless episodes of Pat and Vanna on ‘Wheel of Fortune,'” Seacrest said. “We played mock ‘Wheel of Fortune’ games in many cities across America, on conference tables, in meeting rooms, depending on where I was.”
He continued, “We’ve had improvised wheels and improvised participants for months just to kind of slow down the gameplay, the time and the pace. And hopefully it all pays off.”
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Sajak’s final episode aired on June 7, nearly a year after he announced his exit from the game show on June 12, 2023. (Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images)
“Wheel of Fortune” announced that Seacrest will succeed Sajak in June 2023 after the host retires.
“I am truly honored to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak,” Seacrest said in the statement obtained by Fox News Digital at the time. “I can say along with the rest of America that it has been a privilege and a pure joy to have Pat and Vanna (White) on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and making us feel at home with them.”
“Pat, I love the way you always celebrated the contestants and made the viewers at home feel good. I look forward to learning everything I can from you during this transition.”
Sajak’s final episode aired on June 7, nearly a year after he announced his exit from the game show on June 12, 2023. Sajak will return to “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” on October 7 for his final farewell.
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