Pat Sajak is back behind the wheel, briefly coming out of retirement to host the fifth season of ABC’s “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.”
The network on Wednesday confirmed the veteran game show host's latest gig by announcing its fall premiere lineup, which also includes the return of the beloved sitcom “Abbott Elementary,” the stalwart “Monday Night Football” and the debut of “The Golden Bachelorette.”
The three-time Daytime Emmy Award winner, who concluded his 41-year run as host with a final episode of “Wheel of Fortune” that aired in early June, will return to ABC’s airwaves on Oct. 7 for the fifth-season premiere of the primetime version of the puzzle series. The network has billed it as his “final iteration as host of ‘Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.’” The “Celebrity” hosting job, which is separate from Sajak’s long-running duties on the original syndicated series, is one he has performed dozens of times.
Sajak’s first episode has not yet been taped, The Times has confirmed, but he is scheduled to host the series for the entire season. “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” will air on Mondays when ABC does not have a “Monday Night Football” game scheduled. The series will also serve as a lead-in to the Elizabeth Banks-hosted game show, “Press Your Luck.”
In June 2023, the host announced his retirement from the iconic game show with few details as to why. Then, in the lead-up to his final episode this summer, he revealed that he felt he needed to go out on his own terms.
“I’d rather leave a couple of years too early than a couple of years too late,” he said in an interview with his daughter, adding: “I’m looking forward to whatever comes next.”
“Whatever” appears to be the star-studded, primetime edition of the game show, which pits celebrity contestants against each other to benefit a charity of their choice. The series premiered in 2021 and Sajak used to be the host.
A spokesman for Sajak told The Times on Thursday that the host is “enjoying his retirement” and “passing on all requests” for comment.
Sajak’s longtime spot on “Wheel of Fortune” will be filled by mega-producer Ryan Seacrest, who will take the helm in September after signing a multi-year deal with Sony Pictures Television in June 2023. On Tuesday, the show’s famed host Vanna White, who will remain on “Wheel of Fortune” for the next two years, shared a photo of herself and the “American Idol” and “On Air” host sharing chicken and dumplings. “Friends on and off camera,” she wrote.
Sajak replaced original host Chuck Woolery after the Hangman-style show’s seventh season in 1982, when “America’s Game” was still airing on daytime television. Legendary producer Merv Griffin hired Sajak and White, cementing their status as series fixtures for decades. In 2019, Sajak earned the Guinness Book of World Records title for longest run as a host on the same game show. He retired with nearly 8,000 episodes to his name.
“It’s been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes, night after night, year after year, decade after decade,” Sajak said in his farewell episode. “And I always felt that with the privilege came a responsibility to maintain this daily half-hour as a safe place for family fun. No social issues, no politics. Nothing embarrassing, I hope. Just a game.”
