Wheel of Fortune had hoped for a seamless transition when bringing on Ryan Seacrest to replace Pat Sajak as its host after 41 years, and that’s seemingly what it got. The show — one of the best game shows on TV — saw an expectedly huge bump in the ratings for Seacrest’s debut on the 2024 TV schedule, which was also largely well-received by viewers on social media. One insider, however, suggests this new age isn’t as golden as it may seem and that the host’s job may be in jeopardy due to his high salary and falling ratings.
Reactions to Ryan Seacrest’s first night as the new host of Wheel of Fortune were mostly positive, and the series enjoyed a notable increase in viewership, with Deadline reporting an impressive 4.62 household rating. However, Radar alleges that this is a “very stressful time” for Seacrest, as those ratings took a dive following the premiere. The insider said:
Ryan’s trying to sugarcoat this and say it’s good news, that the only way is up since Pat’s ratings are down. But the bosses are worried it’s a free-fall that might not be automatically reversible just by hiring a new host!
That 4.62 was lower than Pat Sajak’s farewell episode ratings, which earned a 6.22 — or more than 11 million viewers — to become Wheel of Fortune’s most-watched episode since April 2020 (during the COVID lockdown) and the highest-rated non-sports program that week.
Official numbers for Ryan Seacrest’s first full week haven’t been released, so it’s unknown if the source is correct in saying the ratings saw a significant spiral after its premiere, but certainly some dropoff would be expected. If the insider is correct and the show doesn’t see a rebound, it could be a problem due to the new host’s high salary.
Ryan Seacrest, who is known for his high-profile hosting gigs, is reportedly under contract to earn $28 million a year on Wheel of Fortune — nearly double Pat Sajak’s alleged salary of $15 million. That means, according to the supposed insider, that Seacrest is under enormous pressure to deliver. If he doesn’t, the source suggests none other than Vanna White may be waiting in the wings for her chance to take over as host. They continued:
If the ratings don’t come back up, Ryan knows he’ll be the scapegoat, so it’s incredibly stressful. And Vanna’s in the catbird seat. She can just stand back and see how Ryan gets on. Even if that’s not her intention, she can certainly be the one to benefit from this in a big way because she’d be the next obvious replacement. Everyone knows there’s no one the fans would rather see take over from Ryan — she’d be a slam dunk!
While I do think fans would love to see Vanna White as Wheel of Fortune’s host, I find it hard to believe that the powers that be at Sony Pictures would pull the plug so quickly on Ryan Seacrest. Pat Sajak held the job for 41 years, after all, and consistency is key for their target audience.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see, though, because if the ratings can’t justify Ryan Seacrest’s salary, who knows what big moves could be made? In the meantime, check your local listings to see when Wheel of Fortune plays in your area.