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Who should replace Pat Sajak on ‘Wheel of Fortune’

Vanna White’s time to shine is now!

Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak is interviewed before taping episodes of the game show at Navy Pier on March 7, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Paul Warner/WireImage) (Paul Warner, 2007 Paul Warner)

The longtime host of “Wheel of Fortune,” Pat Sajak, announced he would be retiring from his hosting duties at the end of the next season.

This, of course, got people talking about who should replace the host? The hunt to find a replacement for the great Alex Trebek was thrilling for longtime “Jeopardy” fans, so will the same thing happen for “Wheel of Fortune?”

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The idea of rotating hosts does sound fun. Let’s get into who would be a perfect candidate for this iconic TV hosting gig.


Vanna White

This is the most obvious answer, and honestly, she deserves the job. White has spent her entire career walking across that stage revealing letters in gorgeous gowns, so it’s about time she got to take on the hosting duties full time.

She’s also filled in as host, and when she did, the internet made it clear that they want to see White host more often.

The only downside is that White may be ready to retire, too. She’s been doing this for a very long time, and the idea of taking over as host when she may want to retire soon doesn’t sound too great. Time will only tell.

Ryan Seacrest

If anyone is qualified to take over the job, it’s probably Ryan Seacrest. The man has been hosting TV programs like “American Idol” and radio shows for 20 years. He’s also not doing his morning TV gig anymore with Kelly Ripa, so it’s not like he has a whole lot going on right now.

It’s been reported that he is the frontrunner for the job, but that could honestly mean anything. Personally, I don’t find Seacrest to be that exciting, but on paper he’d be a good fit for the job.

Whoopi Goldberg

Now this is a fun and interesting choice. Whoopi has been the moderator of “The View” for what seems like forever, and she offered herself up for the job on “The View” just a few days ago.

Now, was Whoopi just trying to be funny, or was she for real serious? That’s the question at hand here. Part of me thinks that Whoopi was just being funny, but I also kind of love the idea of Whoopi hosting the show. Like, imagine her face when someone guesses a phrase that is completely wrong? She would not be able to hide it!

Maggie Sajak

Most people probably have no idea who Maggie Sajak is, but as you can tell from her name, she is one of Pat’s children.

Maggie Sajak became the show’s “social media corespondent” in 2021, and she even took over White’s duties a few months ago, so she’s obviously familiar with the ins and outs of the show.

She is, however, a “nepo baby,” meaning she really only got the job at “Wheel of Fourtune” because of her dad. Not that nepo babies aren’t talented or anything, but it does kind of feel like the hosting gig is just going to be handed to her when she has little to no experience actually hosting anything.

Katie Couric

This is just a personal choice, but I love Katie Couric, and I’d love to see her host anything!

She was so good as the “Jeopardy” host when she took over for a brief period of time, and it doesn’t seem like she has a whole lot going on right now! She’s so great at chatting with contestants, and she’s so well liked. Even if she doesn’t want the gig, it would be fun to see her host the show for a week or something.

Keke Palmer

Listen, I could listen to Keke Palmer read a phone book and I would be entertained. She just has SO much spunk and spirit to her personality. I don’t think this will actually happen since she’s an actress who works a ton, but gosh, imagine how fun it would be to see her host the show?

Andy Cohen

I’ve always thought that Andy Cohen would be a great gameshow host, so why not “Wheel of Fortune?” With a growing family and a pretty solid gig at the Bravo network, he’s probably not looking for another hosting job, but there’s no doubt he’d be great at it.


Who do you think should get the job? Let us know in the comments!


About the Author
Jack Roskopp headshot

Jack is a Digital Content Editor with a degree in creative writing and French from Western Michigan University. He specializes in writing about movies, food and the latest TV shows.

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