Ryan Seacrest Hugs Teary ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Audience Member With Touching Backstory
More than just a host! Ryan Seacrest sweetly hugged a Wheel of Fortune audience member after she told him her story.
Seacrest and cohost Vanna White take questions from the game show audience during a taping. Sometimes, the social media team decides to share those questions and interactions with the world.
“The contestants are the heart of @WheelofFortune, but every so often, someone in the audience leaves a mark, too. Sending love to your granddaughter and everyone at @chocchildrens. @RyanFoundation #SeacrestStudios,” the post on March 25 was captioned.
The post first had a photo of Ryan Seacrest hugging a contestant up in the stands. The second slide showed her story and why she received a hug from the host.
“Hi, I just want to say something to you,” the woman said. “My granddaughter just got out of CHOC, Children’s Hospital in Orange County.”
“And I want to thank you so much for the donation that you gave,” the woman said with tears in her eyes. She blew a kiss to Seacrest and said, “Thank you!”
The audience cheered as the host made his way over to her. “How’s she doing?” he asked.
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“Much, much better,” the grandmother said.
“Three weeks,” Seacrest said. He then asked her name, to which the woman replied, “Anna.”
“You’re a nervous wreck, right? When she’s in there because you can’t do anything about it,” the Wheel of Fortune host asked.
“Yeah. And I love the picture they have of you in the donation area,” she replied.
Seacrest joked that he was six feet tall in that photo. He hugged her, and the woman said, “God bless you. Thank you.”
“Well, I’m glad she is out of there and doing ok. Thank you,” Seacrest said.
Although the amount of money that Seacrest donated is unknown, he does have a Secret Studios at that hospital. Seacrest Studios, which is in children’s hospitals all around America, is an in-house multimedia broadcast center. It gives patients therapeutic and creative entertainment, such as movie and TV shows, to provide distraction during treatment.
CHOC is the only hospital on the West Coast to have a Seacrest Studios, but there are 14 Seacrest Studios throughout the country.
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