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"I'm truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the
legendary Pat Sajak," Seacrest posted on Instagram and Twitter.
Seacrest paid homage to Sajak and longtime co-host Vanna White
and said he looked forward to "spinning the wheel and working
alongside the great Vanna White."
Sony Pictures Television, the studio behind the show, said in a
statement that "Wheel of Fortune" reaches 20 million unique
viewers on average each week, the largest weekly television
audience across syndication, broadcast and streaming.
Sony said Seacrest signed a "multi-year agreement" but did not
specify how many years it would last.
The studio called Seacrest "one of the most nationally
recognized voices in media today" after having hosted TV shows
"American Idol" and "Live with Kelly and Ryan" and his own
morning radio show.
"Many people probably don't know this but one of my first jobs
was hosting a little game show called 'Click for Merv Griffin'
25 years ago so this is truly a full circle moment for me and
I'm grateful to Sony for the opportunity," Seacrest said in the
Sony statement.
Sajak, 76, took to Twitter earlier this month to announce his
plan to retire after 41 seasons.
"I've decided that our 41st season, which begins in September,
will be my last. It's been a wonderful ride, and I'll have more
to say in the coming months," he wrote.
He ranks as the longest-serving host of any U.S. TV game show,
surpassing the 35 years Bob Barker presided over "The Price is
Right" on CBS or the 37 years Alex Trebek starred on "Jeopardy!"
Sajak and White won a Daytime Emmy for outstanding game show
host three times out of a total of 19 nominations.
(Reporting by Danielle Broadway; Editing by Mary Milliken and
Rosalba O'Brien)
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