Ryan Seacrest Makes Shocking Admission About Hosting ‘Wheel of Fortune'
's start as host of Wheel of Fortune was rocky, but he just revealed that he had years to prepare for the role.
Seacrest took over for on Sept. 9, 2004, after the legendary game show host retired after 41 seasons on the show.
Wheel of Fortune fans have called Seacrest out several times over the last 10 months for perceived errors he made as the new host. From failing to recognize Sajak's contribution during his first episode to errors in explaining game rules, viewers didn't miss a chance to speak out. Despite all of that, ratings are great, and viewers are staying tuned in, per TV Insider.
🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Seacrest discussed taking over on Wheel of Fortune and shared a few surprising things.
"I have a lot fun with the job, but I take the responsibility very seriously," Seacrest shared. "We all have memories of watching Wheel with our families. I mowed lawns growing up in Atlanta just to save money to buy a Zenith TV for the kitchen so we could watch Wheel during dinner!"
Keeping the long-running game show fun for viewers is a huge responsibility. Seacrest shared that WOF is special because it's "simple" and "it's never changed."
What we weren't expecting to hear is that Seacrest's hiring was in the plan for some time. He admitted, "There were conversations — actually, years ago — about me doing this show, and I expressed interest even back then. When you look at what Pat and Vanna [White, co-host] have built over the years … they are your friends. What they've established is special. So that's why I said yes."
He also claimed that he prepped quite a bit ahead of his big Wheel of Fortune debut to make the transition smooth."It required a lot more prep than you'd think," Seacrest revealed. "I made flashcards for myself and, when I could, logged in remotely to watch tape-days. About six months out, my producer built a little travel-friendly wheel for me so I could play in hotel conference rooms with random people."
Season 43 of Wheel of Fortune is expected to premiere in September 2025, marking Seacrest's second season as host.
Ryan Seacrest Makes Shocking Admission About Hosting 'Wheel of Fortune' first appeared on Parade on Jun 23, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
5 minutes ago
- Forbes
Where To Eat For New York Summer Restaurant Week 2025
Oysters at The Noortwyck in Greenwich Village, offering $60 dinners for New York City Summer ... More Restaurant Week Summer Restaurant Week is back in New York City. The twice annual celebration of restaurants across the borough officially kicks off on Monday, July 21 and runs through Sunday, August 17 (so restaurant month, really). Reservations for Restaurant Week specials open on Tuesday, July 15, so plan ahead to secure the best seats at participating restaurants. This season's specials include prix-fixe meals at three pricing options ($30, $45, or $60), for lunch, brunch, dinner, or all meals. Here's where to dine for Summer Restaurant Week 2025: The Noortwyck The Noortwyck is offering a $60 three-course dinner menu of sophisticated European-inspired cuisine. The Restaurant Week menu starts with a choice of heirloom tomatoes with smoked almond and bonito, kale salad with toasted pine nut and 7-year gouda, or chicken liver parfait with grapes and honey cardamom toast. Main course offerings include agnolotti with corn, chive and aged parmesan, roasted chicken breast with summer beans and minestrone broth, or the signature dry-aged cheeseburger with horseradish aioli. For dessert, guests can choose from a refreshing Sorrento lemon sorbet or mascarpone rice pudding with citrus and strawberry. Akoya The Knickerbocker's newest restaurant is participating in New York City's Summer Restaurant Week with a three-course dinner menu for $60. Set on the intimate St. Cloud Rooftop, the dinner begins with amuse options like Japanese-style roasted duck with scallion relish, salmon crudo, or a crispy rice trio. For the main course, choose from a three-piece temaki set, featuring options such as spicy tuna, grilled oyster, yuzu scallop, and vegetarian selections. Dessert offerings include green tea soy milk bread pudding, a sesame cookie, or a monaka sandwich with a soybean shell, red bean paste, berry compote, and mochi. A selection of dishes at Akoya at The Knickerbocker Calvert's The refined, welcoming restaurant on the second floor of Park Lane New York is offering a two-course lunch ($29) or three-course dinner ($42). Dishes include asparagus salad with toasted pistachios and herb vinaigrette, rotisserie organic chicken with fingerling potatoes and jus, and bucatini cacio e pepe. For dinner, don't miss the signature wagyu Park Lane burger, plus chocolate decadence cake or a seasonal cheesecake. Vegetarian and gluten-free options available. Greywind Inspired by Chef Dan Kluger's love for upstate New York, Greywind transports guests from Hudson Yards to the Hudson Valley. Greywind will offer a special lunch prix fixe menu including signature lunch items and seasonal specials. The restaurant week menu will also include wine tastings and the signature cocktail The Perfect Manhattan featuring Great Jones bourbon ($16.25) as the commemorative 'Founded by New York City' cocktail pairing for Restaurant Week's celebration of NYC's 400th anniversary. Dinner at Greywind in Hudson Yards BLACKBARN Restaurant The farm-to-table American restaurant in NoMad is its 10th Anniversary with lunch ($45), brunch ($45), and dinner ($60) menus for Restaurant Week. On weekends, brunch includes a complimentary mimosa, bellini or freshly squeezed juice, plus dishes like Johnny cakes with lemon-thyme blueberry cream, market gem lettuce Caesar salad or the summer special Waldorf Salad. For an entree diners, may choose between shakshuka or a pastrami Reuben served on house-made rye bread. Momoya SoHo The elevated Japanese restaurant will offer a two-course prix fixe menu for lunch for $30 and a three-course prix-fixe menu for dinner for $60 during this summer's Restaurant Week. Menu highlights include the mini sushi omakase featuring 7 pieces of nigiri and a toro scallion roll available at lunch, the Shokado bento featuring A5 Wagyu, lobster tezuna maki and miso black cod for dinner, and finishing off the meal with the Peach Pavlova for dessert. They will also be featuring $65 wine bottle selections available for both lunch and dinner service. Mini sushi omakase at Momoya SoHo Philippe Chow Philippe Chow, the upscale Chinese restaurant serving haute Beijing-style cuisine in the Meatpacking District will be participating in NYC's Summer 2025 Restaurant Week with a special menu of their cult-favorite dishes. For $60 a person, guests can enjoy a three-course pre-fixe menu including chicken satay, shrimp satay, chicken lettuce wraps, Beijing chicken, spicy pepper mignon, chocolate layer cake, and more, with the option to add a signature lychee martini for $15.
Washington Post
9 minutes ago
- Washington Post
'Superman' brings a message of hope to a cynical world
LOS ANGELES — Superman might do more than just save Metropolis — filmmaker James Gunn hopes the beloved superhero will bring hope to a cynical world. 'Everybody's gotten so cynical and ironic,' said Gunn. 'Everybody's ironic about everything all the time. And he (Superman) is a good-natured guy who wants to be kind. And when you see the world through Superman's eyes, everyone is beautiful.'
Forbes
15 minutes ago
- Forbes
HBO Max Orders ‘Big Bang Theory' Spin-off 'Stuart Fails To Save The Universe'
A new spin-off of 'The Big Bang Theory' focused on one of the original series' recurring characters has been ordered to series by HBO Max, the latest example of a continued push by studios to expand popular franchises and repackage familiar content in hopes of reaching streaming success. Denise (Lauren Lapkus) and Stuart (Kevin Sussman) in "The Big Bang Theory." CBS via Getty Images The new show, called 'Stuart Fails To Save The Universe,' will focus on the character of Stuart Bloom, the bumbling owner of the comic book store frequented by the main characters in the original series. 'Stuart Fails To Save The Universe' will be the fourth show in the 'Big Bang' universe after two other sitcoms were spawned from the original series to varying levels of success. 'Young Sheldon,' set in the 1970s and following the childhood of the 'Big Bang' main character, was immensely popular over its seven-season run and was regularly the most-watched show across streaming and television thanks, in part, to its wide availability—'Young Sheldon' aired on CBS and was also available to stream on Netflix, Max, Paramount+ and other services. The series stars Kevin Sussman as Bloom and actors Lauren Lapkus, Brian Posehn and John Ross Bowie, all of whom were recurring minor characters in 'The Big Bang Theory,' and original series creator Chuck Lorre will executive produce alongside Zak Penn and Bill Prady. Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We're launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day's headlines. Text 'Alerts' to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here : 'The Big Bang Theory' isn't the only show whose characters have been rehashed to capture viewers familiar with their themes and characters as an extension of the 'comfort shows' that have proven to be viewership gold for streaming services. Perhaps the most pervasive examples are the seemingly endless reboots and spinoffs are the 'Star Trek' and 'Star Wars' franchises—Disney has created more than 15 shows in the 'Star Wars' universe in the last 11 years and seven new 'Star Trek' shows have aired or been announced since 2018. "Fuller House," which brought back most characters from the 1990s sitcom "Full House," ran for five seasons and drew strong viewership numbers to Netflix, and "Girl Meets World" from Disney ran for three seasons and starred many of the same actors from the original "Boy Meets World" show. Currently running are 'Frasier' on Paramount+, a reboot of the show of the same name that ran from 1993 to 2004; a live-action reboot of ''Avatar: The Last Airbender;' 'Queer Eye,' a re-do of an early 2000s reality show called "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy.'Critically acclaimed series "Cobra Kai," a spin-off of "The Karate Kid" films, ended its six-season run earlier this year and "Roseanne" was brought back for a fan-favorite season in 2018 before racist tweets from its star cancelled its run. Despite a slate of original series, comfort shows like "Gilmore Girls" and "Suits" claimed all 10 spots in Nielsen's most-watched shows for 2023 and 2024. 'The Big Bang Theory' was named 2024's 'most-binged title' in streaming, according to Nielsen. Key Background The plot of 'Stuart Fails To Save The Universe' will focus on Bloom and his friends' attempts to restore reality after bringing about a multiverse Armageddon by breaking a device built by original series main characters Sheldon and Leonard. While the original cast members aren't signed on, the show's log line promises appearances of "alternate-universe versions of characters we've come to know and love from 'The Big Bang Theory.'" Crucial Quote 'I wanted to do something radical that would take me out of my comfort zone," Chuck Lorre said in a statement. "Something the characters on 'The Big Bang Theory' would have loved, hated, and argued about.' What We Don't Know When the new show will air. HBO did not announce a premiere date. Tangent 'The Big Bang Theory' ran for 12 seasons, starting in 2007, and holds a Guinness World Record as the longest-running multi-camera sitcom, surpassing 'Cheers.' The show won 10 Emmy Awards, including four Outstanding Lead Actor prizes for Jim Parsons as Sheldon. In March, Max and Warner Bros. Unscripted Television launched "The Official Big Bang Theory Podcast" with author Jessica Radloff, who wrote a book about the series. 'The Big Bang Theory' also spawned seven seasons of the massive hit 'Young Sheldon' on CBS. Almost 12 million people tuned into the "Young Sheldon" finale live on CBS last June and 6 billion people watched the show across platforms that month, beating out new episodes of "Bridgerton" to become the most popular on television for the month. A spin-off of "Young Sheldon, "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage," aired its first season last year and a second is slated to premiere during the 2025-2026 TV season. 'The Official Big Bang Theory Podcast' Launches On Max (Forbes) 'Bridgerton' Dominates Streaming Ratings In May—But 'Young Sheldon' Captures More Viewers Overall (Forbes) The World's Highest-Paid TV Actors: Jim Parsons Leads With $27.5 Million (Forbes)
