Whoopi Goldberg Wants to Host ‘Wheel of Fortune’ & Ken Jennings Chimes In
Whoopi Goldberg has thrown her hat into the ring for the new host of Wheel of Fortune following Pat Sajak‘s upcoming retirement.
Sajak made the announcement on Monday, June 12, revealing that he’ll be retiring at the end of the upcoming 41st season. This means the search for a new host is on, with names like Ryan Seacrest and Maggie Sajak (Pat’s daughter) already floating around as potential successors.
Goldberg made her intentions clear on Tuesday’s (June 13) episode of The View, when Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings joined the panel to share his thoughts on the Wheel of Fortune situation.
“Another legendary game show host, Pat Sajak, just announced that he’s going to be retiring from Wheel of Fortune at the end of next season. What’s your reaction to the news, and any ideas on who should replace him?” Alyssa Farah Griffin asked Jennings.
“Well, Pat’s a legend. Over 40 years and the price of a vowel has not gone up one penny. No one controls inflation like Pat Sajak,” the Jeopardy! G.O.A.T. joked.
“But that’s an interesting question,” he continued. “Jeopardy had its own succession crisis. Hopefully, Wheel has got an envelope somewhere that says, ‘What to do when Pat packs it in.'”
While Jennings was answering, Goldberg could be heard in the background saying, “I want the job.”
“Whoopi wants that job,” Joy Behar told Jennings, with Goldberg herself confirming, saying, “I want that job. I think it would be lots of fun.”
Jennings seemed on board with the idea, quipping, “Well, there you go, we figured it out.”
Behar then took things a step further, suggesting, “Sara [Haines] and I could be Vanna White. We’ll take turns walking back and forth and pointing to the letters.”
As Jennings mentioned, he is familiar with the struggles of an iconic game show looking for a new host. Following the death of legendary host Alex Trebek in 2020, Jeopardy! went on a long journey to find his replacement. The 2020-2021 Jeopardy! season saw a rotating line-up of guest hosts, with the show’s producer Mike Richards (who also exec-produced Wheel) eventually landing the gig.
However, Richards was dropped after one week when sexist comments he’d made on a 2013 podcast came to light. He was also fired as executive producer of both Jeopardy! and Wheel.
Ultimately, Jennings and The Big Bang Theory‘s Mayim Bialik were announced as permanent Jeopardy! hosts in 2022.
The View, Weekdays, 11 am/10 c, ABC
