Vanna White to Host ‘Wheel of Fortune’ as Pat Sajak Recovers From Emergency Surgery
Written by SOURCE on November 9, 2019
Wheel of Fortune‘s Vanna White is taking on hosting duties for now.
The game show recently announced it was forced to cancel Thursday’s taping after longtime host Pat Sajak underwent emergency surgery to correct a blocked intestine. The show told audiences that the procedure was a success and that White would host the show while 73-year-old Sajak recovers.
“[Sajak] is resting comfortably and looking forward to getting back to work,” Wheel of Fortune tweeted Friday. “Taping resumed today as scheduled and Vanna White has stepped in as host.”
Sajak has hosted Wheel of Fortune, now in its 37th season of syndication, since 1981. White became a regular the following year. White has only filled in for Sajak during their decades together; according to USA Today, White hosted one segment in 1996, after Sajak was diagnosed with laryngitis.
The popular game show celebrated its 7,000th episode earlier this year. At the time, Sajak told USA Today he intends to retire within the next decade.
“I’d like to leave while the show’s still popular, and I’d like to leave before people ask me to leave,” he said, “and I’d like to leave before people tune in and see me and go, ‘Ooh, what the hell happened to him?'”
The White-hosted episodes will begin to air Dec. 9.
