Nobody likes change. At least, the majority of people don't. So I'll be honest with you all, it was definitely going to be an adjustment when Pat Sajak first announced he would be retiring and not coming back to Wheel of Fortune on ABC. This September, it will have been a year since the change went into effect and American' Idol's Ryan Seacrest took over. However, he did manage to surprise me!
I think many of us fans and viewers were skeptical and nervous about this major change. After all, a host sets the tone for a competition series and has to keep audiences entertained and tuning in. Seacrest is great on American Idol. Though the singing competition series is different than a game show, so we had our reservations.
Though honestly, Seacrest has been a much better Wheel of Fortune host than we expected he would be. Again, we don't mean any offense to Seacrest himself. It's just all about change. It turns out this one was a pretty good one, and one we can be on board with almost a year into the host's new gig.
I think he and co-host Vanna White have pretty good onscreen chemistry, just like she and Sajak did. Plus, Seacrest brings good and new energy, is charismatic, and is able to go with the flow and sort of improvise, or respond, to what the contestants are saying and doing in a natural way. All key points for a successful host. Plus, is it just me or does he weirdly kind of look like he could be Sajak's son or relative?
Either way, I think he was a really good choice and I'm looking forward to seeing him continue to host the game show for a while. Hopefully. Sajak stepped back from his hosting duties, after 43 years on the job, last year and when the new season of Wheel of Fortune premiered in September 2024, it was with a new face.
Ryan Seacrest will be taking over Celebrity Wheel of Fortune this fall
Though Sajak did have one more season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune in him, and we got to see the former host and TV personality on there during season 5, which just recently wrapped up on June 10, 2025. The finale featured celebrity contestants Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Renée Elise Goldsberry, and Bernadette Peters.
However, this will also be Sajak's final season on the spin-off game show as ABC has announced its 2025 fall TV lineup. In a few months, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune season 6 will premiere with Seacrest officially taking over the show as well, alongside White. You can expect the series to be moving premiere nights as well.
Celebrity Wheel has been on Wednesday nights, but is moving to Fridays at 8 p.m. ET sometime this fall instead. You'll also be able to stream the one-hour long episodes on Hulu the next day. Another fun change coming this fall that we're looking forward to is the fact that Wheel of Fortune episodes will finally be available to stream on Hulu, Disney+, and Peacock the next day. This is the first time the show has an official streaming home(s), which will definitely be helpful if we miss an episode and want to tune in later. Lots of exciting things are coming to the franchise!
Tune in to new seasons of Wheel of Fortune and Celebrity Wheel of Fortune this fall on ABC, and stream the next day.