‘Wheel of Fortune’ New Host: Andy Cohen Says It Would Be His Dream Job
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Andy Cohen has revealed that he would jump at the chance to take over from Pat Sajak as the host of Wheel of Fortune.
‘Dream, dream job. I would love to,” the Watch What Happens Live host told Us Weekly. “That would be incredible.”
The Real Housewives executive producer is already one of the busiest people in television, including his must-see TV double act with Anderson Cooper on CNN each New Year’s Eve. Cohen’s other hosting credits include For Real: The Story of Reality TV, Ex-Rated with Andy Cohen, and the Love Connection reboot. He even had a stint co-hosting Live with Kelly Ripa.
“Not only is a game show the thing that I haven’t done yet, but that is the premiere game show. It’s really fun,” Cohen said of Wheel.
Pat Sajak, who has hosted Wheel of Fortune since 1981, announced June 12 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 such as Ryan Seacrest and Maggie Sajak (Pat’s daughter) already floating around as potential successors. Indeed, Seacrest is said to have already had discussions with the show’s producers about possibly taking over as host. Whoopi Goldberg has also thrown her hat into the ring for the new host following Sajak’s upcoming retirement.
As for Cohen, he praised Sajak, saying he doesn’t get the credit he deserves for the way he has hosted Wheel for more than 40 years.
“I think that he is underrated,” said Cohen. “I don’t think people understand how hard it is to host that show and what a good job he does. He’s smart, he’s funny, he’s a great host. There’s a reason he’s been on for so long. But yeah, absolutely. I mean, that would be a dream [to succeed Pat as host].”
Even Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings has joined in the debate about how should succeed Pat Sajak.
“Pat’s a legend,” Jennings said on a recent edition of The View when asked about who should take over hosting duties on Wheel. “Over 40 years and the price of a vowel has not gone up one penny. No one controls inflation like Pat Sajak,” he 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.'”
Even though Sajak, 76, is planning his exit from Wheel, he seemingly has no plans to retire completely. Instead, the TV legend will focus on a role in academia. According to WVID Local 4, Sajak plans to serve as chairman of Michigan’s Hillsdale College. As for Sajak’s long-time Wheel co-host Vanna White, she’s made no announcement yet about whether she will stick with the show when Pat leaves in 2024.
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