Ryan Seacrest made his debut as the new host of Wheel of Fortune Monday night, and despite initial reluctance, many were impressed with the 49-year-old.
While fans seemed to enjoy the fresh face on Wheel, Pat Sajak wasn’t so sure Seacrest would be the right choice. Prior to the American Idol host’s debut, a source alleged Sajak made it clear Seacrest wasn’t the longtime host’s choice.
“Ryan wasn’t Pat’s choice to replace him and Pat deliberately stayed out of that process,” a top-level Sony source told The U.S. Sun.
The source did not reveal who Sajak would have preferred.
“Ryan was extremely smart when he took the job to be utterly respectful to Pat at every turn,” they added. “Ryan did not want there to be even an ounce of tension between them.”
“Ryan acts like he has Pat’s support and for now, that helps him [Ryan] enjoy this honeymoon period, where the fans are going to decide if he’s a good fit for the show.”
Sajak hasn’t publicly offered his opinion on Seacrest’s first few days on the job.
Although Seacrest didn’t specifically mention the 77-year-old during his debut on Wheel of Fortune, the host praised “the legendary Pat Sajak” in the months leading up to his first show.
“Pat, I love the way you’ve always celebrated the contestants and made viewers at home feel at ease. I look forward to learning everything I can from you during this transition.”
If Ryan Seacrest wasn’t picked as the host of Wheel of Fortune, who would you have picked? Let us know in the comments.
READ MORE:
- Ryan Seacrest shares behind the scenes footage from first day on set of ‘Wheel of Fortune’
- Insider reveals Ryan Seacrest’s true feelings about ‘Wheel of Fortune’ gig before taking over from Pat Sajak
