Wheel of Fortune hostess Vanna White will fill in for Pat Sajak after the TV host was unexpectedly sidelined with emergency surgery on Thursday. As revealed on the official Twitter account for the popular daytime show, the latest taping for the show was canceled after Sajak underwent successful emergency surgery to correct a blocked intestine. "He is resting comfortably and looking forward to getting back to work," the tweet reads, noting the taping for the day then continued with letter-turner Vanna White taking over for Sajak's hosting duties. TMZ has since reported Sajak will be out for two weeks, with White filling in for the duration of his absence.
Pat Sajak has been hosting Wheel of Fortune since 1981 when he replaced original host Chuck Woolery. Meanwhile, White joined the program the following year by replacing Susan Stafford. The pair of Sajak and White have since become synonymous with the show, making it incredibly difficult to imagine anyone else taking over these roles full-time. This makes it rather appropriate for White to fill in for Sajak, but this also means someone else will be needed to turn the letters for her. Reportedly, none other than Mickey Mouse will be the one stepping in for White, as the show is currently taping its Disney Week episodes at its Los Angeles studio. Needless to say, we have some very interesting episodes of Wheel of Fortune to look forward to.
There have been some interesting shake-ups in the past, so this concept won't be entirely new for Pat Sajak and Vanna White. In a 1996 episode, the two had switched spots for the bonus round segment as Sajak's laryngitis left him unable to speak well. The following year, Rosie O'Donnell co-hosted the third round of another episode after her name was used in a puzzle. Also on April Fool's Day in 1997, Sajak and Jeopardy host Alex Trebek traded jobs for the day, with Trebek hosting a special two-contestant episode of Alex Trebek has since remained very optimistic about beating the disease and has been aggressively fighting it with chemotherapy treatments. To date, Trebek still has not missed a Jeopardy taping and says he will continue hosting the popular game show for as long as he possibly can. Last year, Trebek signed a new deal to remain as the host of Jeopardy through 2022. We're certainly wishing him all the best with his continued treatment.
With over 7,000 episodes taped, Wheel of Fortune serves as the longest-running syndicated game show in the United States. This year, Sajak also surpassed Bob Barker as the longest-running host of any game show. Much respect, and get well soon Pat. This news comes to us from TMZ.