Watching something on a near-daily basis makes it easy to take certain elements for granted without questioning anything. Wheel of Fortune may be among the best game shows of all time, but that doesn’t mean it’s 100% perfect in all viewers’ eyes, and I love that fans recently debated a concept that I’ve long taken issue with: prize amounts being added to contestants’ total winnings.

Over on Reddit, theWheel of Fortune viewer dubbed @costoaway1 plainly stated their opinion that players’ final totals shouldn’t include the value of any prizes won, and should only reflect the money earned from wheel spins and puzzle solves. The argument made is a European vacation, for example, can sometimes be worth such a significant amount of money that winning it gives that contestant a giant advantage over the others, even if that contestant doesn’t solve any other puzzles.

As well, the Redditor points to the “strategy” of the game suffering because of it, with contestants arguably less likely to keep spinning for potentially more money when scores are more lopsided, and the instinct can often be to solve the puzzle as quickly as possible just to get any amount of money on the board. So let me just get my own stance out there.

I Totally Agree That Certain Prizes Should Be Excluded From Contestants' Winnings

I certainly can't remember the first time I mentally scoffed at Wheel of Fortune, but I know for sure that it became far more magnified once the show introduced the standalone Prize Puzzle, which guarantees at least one contestant's earnings being boosted by a costly trip. They might as well just also have a $15,000 round where whoever guesses it right automatically gets $15K added to whatever was earned from getting letters correct.

One of the fans commenting beneath the OP's opinion made a pretty solid additional point that I think I agree with more than the idea of just eliminating all prize totals from players' winnings. As @FlightTwoZeroNiner put it:

Those are valid points against the idea of removing prizes from the equation entirely, and probably play into why I may not have been so bothered by it until the Prize Puzzles came into being. It's the spontaneousness and chance that makes the prizes just as important as anything else, knowing that winning one could send someone from third place to first. It's similar to any of the higher-total wedges on the wheel in that way, if more costly.

Other good points were also made, as seen below, and it makes me wish that Wheel of Fortune's creative team had Reddit alerts set for when fans have logical ideas about changes.

• I think they need to increase the values on the wheel anyway. As it is, the person who wins the prize puzzle goes to the bonus round like what 90% of the time? - @ReazonableHuman
• the inflation economy has kinda broken the prize element. if the wheel numbers don't inflate, but the value of the trips do, the game is broken. - @one-hour-photo
• As an alternative, they can start by being more consistent with keeping the prize puzzles to a lower dollar value. This happened a lot in the last couple of weeks of the season, where the prize puzzles were mostly in the $7-8k range, which made it so that the winner didn't always have a runaway game. Contrast that with the repeat game from tonight (originally aired 2/4) where the prize puzzle was a trip to Patagonia worth over $16k. No one is catching whoever wins that, and there is no longer any drama for the triple tossups and the final spin. - @tributtal

I doubt audiences will see any changes made to episodes set to air on the 2026 TV schedule, but I think if enough viewers start saying episodes aren't exciting and are too predictable because of the Prize Puzzle, it's technically possible that such viewpoints could affect future seasons. Not that I think they'd get rid of trips altogether, or else the show itself might not make any money.

Wheel of Fortune has been doing something a little different with the games that air this month on the 2026 TV schedule. In honor of the season of warmer weather that’s upon us, Ryan Seacrest and co. are allowing winning contestants to “spring forward” and continue playing until they lose (much like on Jeopardy!, where Jamie Ding is on a historic 31-game roll). Recent WOF contestant Chad Cabanilla took full advantage of the gameplay twist, but it sounds like winning a bunch of trips may not be as great as you'd imagine.

Chad Cabanilla competed on five episodes of Wheel of Fortune, and given his haul of $183,723 in cash and prizes, I’m sure he’d agree with the consensus calling it one of the best game shows of all time. However, most of that six-figure total came from the value of the trips he won — the SIX trips, to be exact, as Cabanilla told The Mankato Free Press after his fourth win:

That’s quite the comprehensive trip around the world! As well as hitting both sides of the U.S., the Wheel winner could travel to Europe and Asia, then hit the Caribbean and Central America — as long as they can do it quickly. Chad Cabanilla revealed one stipulation regarding the prizes won on Wheel of Fortune that will likely keep him and his husband from hitting all six locales:

While the contestant was excited about his winnings all the same — he’s reportedly an experienced traveler whose husband is a flight attendant — that seems like a huge disadvantage for the average player.

I’m sure having someone win six trips during their Wheel of Fortune experience is a rare occurrence — not likely at all for one-day contestants — but even two big trips within a year’s time can be difficult to schedule for some people.

That’s not even considering the taxes. What a lot of people don’t think about when it comes to Wheel of Fortune is that all of the winnings — cash, vacations, cars, etc. — are taxed like regular income. Past contestants have even swapped their prizes for less-expensive vacations to help offset that tax payment.

I understand Wheel of Fortune’s need to put such stipulations on their all-expenses-paid trips, but it seems like in instances of this “spring forward” special — or really any occasion where a contestant wins numerous trips — there should be an exception written into the rules that they have more time to schedule their vacations. Maybe they could allow the winners to trade such prizes in for a percentage of the cash value.

I wonder if this was an issue that the powers that be at Wheel of Fortune could have foreseen when the “spring forward” idea came up or if they’ve considered changes for the future.

You can see the end of Chad Cabanilla’s run on Wheel of Fortune with either a Hulu subscription or a Peacock subscription. Episodes are available to stream for a limited time starting the day after airing. Check your local listings to see when the game show airs in your area.

Ryan Seacrest is 51 and has even joked about how he's never been married, but he has been around the block when it comes to the dating scene. He recently admitted to a little “test” he likes to administer early on when spending time with a new person to see if they gel. The key to passing? “Politeness.”

The American Idol and Wheel of Fortune host is super famous, but he also feels it is extremely important to be courteous in public spaces. So, when asked about red flags in a new relationship, the host admitted he likes to do an outdoor activity to see how the person he’s with handles it. He said during an episode of On Air With Ryan Seacrest:

When he dropped this little nugget, his co-star blurted out, ‘It’s a test,’ to which Seacrest did not disagree. What he didn’t say is that it’s almost a two-part test, at least, in my opinion. The host is one of the busiest people working in the industry between his major hosting gigs, doing big carpet events, maintaining his radio show, and that's not even factoring in the myriad projects he produces. On top of this, exercise is obviously super important to him based on what he shares on social media.

I would assume if you aren’t the type of person to want to live an active lifestyle, then you aren’t going to be able to keep up with Ryan Seacrest, anyway. So doing an exercise date probably gets to the heart of a who a person is really quickly.

Seacrest didn’t just open up about red flags. He spoke about green flags, too. He said if you “do not have a boyfriend” that’s a green flag. Everyone roasted him, but he doubled down saying, ‘You have to start with this stuff.” He also loves having coffee with someone in the morning, but he hates milk, so he’s looking for a “black coffee drinker.” (The women all called him out for being too picky about this, but hey, a green flag is a green flag.)

It's not often we get these celebrity dating nuggets, so to run down the do's of dating Ryan Seacrest here:

• Don’t have a boyfriend.
• Do drink black coffee.
• Do have an alarm with “pleasant chime sounds.”
• Please be able to get ready in “under 27 minutes.” (Yes, that specific.)

The TV personality was famously in a relationship for eight years with Shayna Taylor, and they allegedly broke up when she wanted “a commitment” that was a little more serious. He had another long-term relationship with Aubrey Paige from 2021-2024. He’s been single since, though he’s been spotted with some big names, including an Australian realtor. If I had to hedge, he’s probably had more than one exercise date on the docket in recent months. Hopefully, everyone passed the “test.”

Artists who compete on talent shows like American Idol need to feel confident in what they wear on stage in order to deliver the best possible performance. Why shouldn’t that same rule apply to the hosts? Ryan Seacrest gave viewers a treat on the March 30 episode of the singing competition that aired on the 2026 TV schedule by going barefoot, and yeah, he knows those tootsies are going viral.

As the Top 14 American Idol contestants took the stage on March 30, Kyndal Inskeep wore no shoes as she sang "Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus" to match the night’s theme of Songs of Faith. Ryan Seacrest decided to forgo his footwear as well when he joined her on stage, and he spoke to ET about it afterward, saying:

In his 25th year as American Idol’s host, I’d imagine Ryan Seacrest can pretty much get away with wearing anything he wants on stage, short of another “penis panic” wardrobe malfunction, of course. You can see Seacrest’s barefoot moment below:

The host was then asked if he was aware of the website dedicated to celebrity feet, and it turns out he is … even if he didn’t get the name exactly right. He said:

That might just be the most relatable thing Ryan Seacrest has ever said. Who wants to drop a whole bunch of cash on a nice pedicure, just to shove your feet back into socks and shoes?

As for the Wheel of Fortune host’s WikiFeet footprint, Ryan Seacrest is well-represented, with his feet earning a respectable score of 4.9 out of 5 stars. Try not to get too excited, but the site also features a video of Seacrest peeling a banana with his bare feet back from his Live with Kelly and Ryan days. Ah, the Internet never fails to provide.

I’m all for Ryan Seacrest feeling grounded and getting to show off his pedi, but I do worry a little about that dirty stage floor with so many people stomping around over the course of American Idol’s airtime. I fear we may have a Benny Blanco situation on our hands.

Ryan Seacrest going barefoot may not have been the most shocking part of Monday's Top 14 episode. The host announced that after receiving more than 10 million votes, more time was needed to determine which 12 contestants were moving forward to perform next week.

The results will be revealed at the beginning of the next episode, so tune in at 8 p.m. ET Monday, April 6, on ABC to see what happens. American Idol episodes are also available to stream the next day with a Hulu subscription.

Wheel of Fortune is one of the best game shows of all time, and continues to be in its 51^st year. The show is in a new era following Pat Sajak’s retirement with Ryan Seacrest taking over, but Vanna White has been the one constant for most of Wheel’s run. However, some concern is being raised after the show’s future expansion about White’s future on it.

It’s been revealed in a press release that Wheel of Fortune is coming back for at least two more seasons, so the show’s own future isn’t in question, at least. Via TV Insider, there is also one more bright spot about the renewal, as the press release shared:

It’s a relief that Seacrest is coming back to host, but this raises the question of whether White will be joining him. There is no mention about White returning, but this echoes what she previously went through. When Sajak announced his retirement, White negotiated her contract for months. There were rumors of her leaving, but she was ultimately able to land her big raise. She also explained why she didn’t want to leave the show with Sajak, saying she wasn’t ready to retire like he was.

Her new deal, though, was only for two more seasons, which could be why she wasn’t named in the press release. It’s entirely possible she’s negotiating a new contract, but it’s still worrisome considering what happened last time. White has been a staple on Wheel of Fortune since 1982, and it’s hard to imagine the show without her. Unfortunately, no matter how long she’s been on the show, it’s unknown whether she’s going to be coming back.

Even though things seemed to be rocky at first between Seacrest and White as they tried to adapt to this new environment, the two of them have certainly grown closer in the last couple of years. So much so that they’ve been pranking each other from time to time. There hasn’t been any indication that she has plans to step away from Wheel of Fortune, as she really only works for a month on the show. But now that Wheel has been renewed for two more seasons, it’s possible more information on her future will be announced soon.

If White were to leave Wheel of Fortune, who would take her place? Pat Sajak’s daughter, Maggie Sajak, who works on the show as the on-air social media correspondent, has been a favorite among fans to take over as the letter turner. She’s done the job a few times for White and is definitely familiar to fans, so it’s a possibility. Wheel of Fortune has changed a lot over the years, and whether the next change will be a new co-host remains to be seen. Hopefully, White is sticking around for a little longer, but the suspense will continue for the time being.

Wheel Of Fortune has been around for a long time, and thus has had a considerable amount of time to put together tons of different categories. The show is one of the best game shows of all time for a reason, and one of those reasons is its broad variety of options, from “Rhyme Time,” which has been around since the ‘90s, to more recent additions like “What the Fun,” a category that was only added during Ryan Seacrest’s tenure. Recently, Pat Sajak’s daughter Maggie (who may one day be up for the TV gig) asked the two hosts about their “favorite” category on the show, and frankly, I think they got it all wrong.

If you were to ask Ryan and Vanna, they surprisingly would not choose a classic WOF category as their favorite. Going through a wide swathe of popular options, the two eventually latch onto Pet Peeves” as the best of the best. This is interesting given the category was only introduced on the show back in January of 2025. Seacrest had only taken over the show, landing it a serious ratings boost, a few months before.

His rapport with Vanna White cannot be denied, however. Take a look and see if you agree, below. (As I said before, I don’t.)

One of the problems I think with this game is the this-or-that format and the fact that Seacrest and White are forced into a situation where they had to agree (even when they clearly didn’t in moments). The other problem I think this video has is with defining what it is looking for. Maggie asks them to pick their best and favorite category, but the two co-leads wonder what that means. Is it the “easiest”? The “most fun”? I’m just saying, Ryan Seacrest wants more parameters.

We know from history that “Phrase” is a likely candidate for most common category on the show. “Food & Drink” is among the easiest, in my opinion, and a popularly picked bonus round category. If I’m just straight up choosing what category I think is my favorite, to me, the answer here has to be “Before and After.” Those puzzles are difficult sometimes, so I see the lack of love from Ryan and Vanna, but to me they are the most fun of the harder puzzles on the show. Unfortunately, what I think is the best category literally got knocked off first.

To note, however, WOF superfans are a fastidious bunch, and seem to like the more challenging puzzles. A quick perusal over various threads on social media had people citing “On The Map” among their favorites. Some cited the "crossword puzzles" as the best, which are notoriously difficult, too. When it comes to the crosswords, Vanna White definitely is out:

Ultimately, I think what this shows is that tastes vary on Wheel of Fortune and it’s a good thing the show is always changing up and adding categories as it returns to the TV schedule. Regardless, my one pet peeve with pet peeves is how easy it can be to muck up a letter. “Microwaving fish at work” could easily have been “microwaving dish at work,” and so on and so forth. So, I’m sticking to my guns here, even if “Before and After” rarely makes the bonus round.

There’s no arguing that Wheel of Fortune is one of the best game shows of all time, as its 43rd season airs on the 2026 TV schedule, but it also seems to be a really fun place to work. Ryan Seacrest is always getting up to something, whether that’s pulling pranks on Vanna White during their meeting or showing off his breakdancing moves. The crew’s latest silly stunt has them doing their impressions of what a pit stop sounds like, and guys, it is something to behold.

Wheel of Fortune has partnered with NASCAR for this week’s games, with contestants able to win themed prizes and the chance to return to play alongside NASCAR Cup Series favorites Team Penske’s Joey Logano, Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell on the February 13 episode. Ryan Seacrest, Vanna White and a couple of other familiar faces embraced the theme by showing off some impressive sound effect skills on Instagram:

I absolutely can’t stop laughing at Maggie Sajak’s pit stop impression, which sounded to me more like an angry puppy than a car (not that I could do any better). Vanna White might as well have been trying to yodel, and I loved every second. In fact, all of their sound effects were impressive and hilarious in equal measure.

Ryan Seacrest threw me a bit talking about the Muppets and “the guy who made all the sounds.” At first I wondered if he was talking about Beaker, but after consulting my favorite Muppets expert, I think the host was talking about Sesame Street’s Simon Soundman, who had several sketches with Waiter Grover but also some where he made car noises:

Now that we got that settled …

Pat Sajak’s daughter acknowledged her animalistic-sounding pit stop impression in the comments of the Instagram post, inspiring this exchange between her and the official Wheel of Fortune account:

• Maggie Sajak: My dolphin noises are way better #comingsoon
• Wheel of Fortune: [Maggie], they’re not ready 👀

Don’t tease us like that, Maggie!

It certainly has been a fun season, as Ryan Seacrest settles into his second year as host after taking over for Pat Sajak. For one thing, he reached the milestone he’d been looking forward to since accepting the post — awarding his first million-dollar prize.

It’s also been fun to see him embrace the physical aspect of the job, which was not something I was aware of when Pat Sajak was the host. Ryan Seacrest must just have the face of someone who contestants like to manhandle, and he’s never afraid to sacrifice his body for the sake of a good bit, which we can hopefully all appreciate. I certainly do.

If you missed any of the NASCAR-themed fun this week, not to worry! Episodes of Wheel of Fortune are now available to stream the next day with either a Hulu subscription or a Peacock subscription, and be sure to check your local listings to see when the show airs in your area.

Ryan Seacrest already seemed like one of the busiest men in showbiz between his American Idol hosting duties and leading the game on Wheel of Fortune, but apparently having a busy work schedule doesn't mean skipping gym days. The former Live with Ryan and Kelly co-lead took to social media to show off his workout now that American Idol is back in gear in the 2026 TV schedule. Let it not be said that he doesn't have his priorities, because he included "hair" among the muscle groups he's targeting!

You wouldn't necessarily think that hosting American Idol would be the most physically demanding job in Hollywood, but Luke Bryan recently shared that there's a lot of work that Seacrest puts in that viewers never see. Check out the routine that keeps him in great physical shape:

Well, working out to "Neverender" by Justice & Tame Impala isn't quite as on-brand for Ryan Seacrest training for American Idol as if he'd posted the video to the tune of Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This," but whatever gets the heart pumping works! For longtime fans of the host, the video also gives a rare look at the back of his hair from above. Considering he always looks camera-ready for Idol, Wheel of Fortune, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, and more, it was a bold move to share this video.

While Seacrest isn't exactly doing lunges or lifts in the middle of an episode of American Idol on ABC (or streaming next day with a Hulu subscription), stamina is surely a factor. The auditions may only take a couple of hours per week for viewers to watch the process, but a lot more work goes into it that involves Ryan Seacrest. It's impressive that the host ever has time to sleep.

The wordless workout video is certainly a shift from some of his other recent posts, including his invention of his version of Charcuterie Chips, a.k.a. pimentos, capers, canned sardines, and lemon zest all piled into a bag of unsalted chips that was sliced open. Take a look:

The commenters on the video seemed to be split on whether this looks delicious or disgusting, but it was enough for him to be the target of American Idol supervising digital producer Adam Davis' "hot take snack" of a banana, peanut butter, and crushed Cool Ranch Doritos on Instagram. Seacrest was a good sport about it... although in fairness, banana and peanut butter is already a pretty conventional combination!

That video was posted shortly before Seacrest was ready to show off his workout video, so it's entertaining to go from one to the other. The American Idol host has been rolling with the punches going back to the very beginning when he shared the screen with Brian Dunkleman. At this point, it seems like he's willing to try just about anything at least once, including a multi-step workout routine that shows off some intensity that fans don't often see on the ABC competition show.

Tune in to ABC on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET to see Ryan Seacrest in action as longtime host of American Idol. Don't count on seeing him wordlessly working out in athletic wear on the show, but I think it's a safe bet fans will be able to appreciate the "hair" part of his "Arms. Legs. Hair. Repeat." approach.

Ryan Seacrest shot to mainstream fame back in 2002 when he debuted as the co-host of American Idol, and he has served as the solo host for the 24 seasons since. The show has changed judges and even networks over the years, but Seacrest is as present in the 2026 TV schedule as he was back in the early 2000s. The competition show returned for the ninth season on ABC and 25th season overall, prompting the host to open up about a wholesome trend he's noticed recently.

Seacrest, who keeps an extremely busy schedule now with Wheel of Fortune on top of his Idol duties, spoke with People about how he keeps his energy up for the show more than two decades and 25 seasons in. He said:

Back when Kelly Clarkson was still just a hopeful singer who didn't know she was on a TV show and Ryan Seacrest was co-hosting with Brian Dunkleman in 2002, nobody could have known that American Idol would become the pop culture juggernaut that it is today. Now, circa 2026, viewers are seeing singers who might have been watching Kelly Clarkson and her successors from home, dreaming of one day making it to the stage themselves.

And who better than the man who has been around from the very beginning to notice trends over the years? Seacrest went on to share a realization that he had more recently than when Kelly Clarkson was belting "A Moment Like This" as the first-ever American Idol champion:

Season 9 only just premiered on January 26 on ABC (and is available streaming now with a Hulu subscription), so there are surely many more artists like the ones Ryan Seacrest described on the way in the coming weeks. The contestants certainly have some former competitors worth looking up to.

Not only did Kelly Clarkson win the first season, but she is the artist behind some of the catchiest pop songs of the last quarter century, hosts her own talk show, coached The Voice to more wins than anybody other than Blake Shelton, and toured around the world. Jennifer Hudson stands as one of the few EGOT winners in history despite not even winning her season of Idol, Carrie Underwood has eight Grammys to her name, and Adam Lambert joined with the one and only Queen.

And hey, if there are any out there who have TV hosting dreams of their own, Ryan Seacrest is a stellar example. In addition to American Idol and now Wheel of Fortune, Seacrest spent six seasons co-hosting Live with Kelly and Ryan alongside Kelly Ripa, and he returned to ABC for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve to ring in the new year from 2025 to 2026.

Tune in to American Idol on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, with Season 9 of the ABC revival and Season 25 of the series overall. You can also stream next day on Hulu.

I’ve watched my fair share of Wheel of Fortune — as have many, being that it’s one of the best game shows of all time — and I’ve definitely witnessed plenty of hilariously bad guesses and shockingly dirty answers. Throw all of those past mistakes out, though, because Kathy Hilton just reached new lows on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, and it seems the Internet is just as exasperated as I am.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills personality appeared with rapper Rick Ross and comedian Riki Lindhome on January 16, as Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Season 6 continued on the 2026 TV schedule. My mouth was agape for the majority of the next hour, as it became clear that Kathy Hilton was completely unfamiliar with the game she was playing. One fan captured actual footage of my face by the end of that hour:

Kathy Hilton committed just about every Wheel of Fortune faux pas I’ve seen, and then some. She shouted, “I know it!” instead of buzzing in during the Toss Up puzzles (yes, more than once); she picked letters that were already on the board; she asked for letters before spinning the wheel; she requested vowels when she was instructed to pick consonants.

Ryan Seacrest did everything but hold her hand, instructing her every step of the way, and really she never caught on.

It was an actually incredible TV viewing experiences — as stressful as watching The Bear; as cringe-inducing as anything from Tim Robinson. For a Rhyme Time puzzle, she guessed “Dippel Rapper” (the answer was “Dapper Rapper”). Fans lit up social media with thoughts like:

• I’m watching Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and I’m becoming irrationally upset that Kathy Hilton has no idea how the game works. – kurtisallen
• Kathy Hilton on Wheel of Fortune was a movie. Never seen anything like it before. – BranBTC
• What a strange thing we all just witnessed… – NicoletteD26829
• Kathy Hilton is on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and has absolutely no clue what’s going on. She’s just blurting out of turn, calling out letters that are already revealed. Like????? LMAOOOOO – NotWith_TheShit
• Whew chile, Kathy Hilton is proof you don’t need a brain to have money. I’ve never see anything like this 😭 – brileighh11

This episode was truly wild — and I haven't even touched on the somewhat awkward interaction between her and longtime friend Vanna White, who responded that her child’s birth “was different than yours” after Kathy Hilton revealed that White was in the room when she had her son, Conrad.

It seems fans had all kinds of different takeaways from this episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, as they listed some highlights:

• The best part of Kathy Hilton on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune tonight had to be her calling the letter T while it was up there already, and then doing it again on her next turn. – xusertommy
• My favorite part of Kathy Hilton's train wreck on Wheel of Fortune had to be when she was wandering off set before they were done 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 – blazerdebbie
• My favorite was the bonus round, with an N on the board, she asked if she could have another N. – bb_kc

Yes, that last one floored me. Let me say that again: When Ryan Seacrest informed her that N was already on the board, Kathy Hilton asked, "Can I get another N?" Then, instead of trying to solve the puzzle as her 10 seconds started to tick down, she kept shouting out letters. It was rough.

This was definitely one appearance that will go down in Wheel of Fortune history, so if you want to witness all of the madness for yourself, you can stream the episode with a Hulu subscription.

When American Idol premieres its 24^th season on the 2026 TV schedule on Monday, January 26, we'll get to see Ryan Seacrest back in action once again. Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Idol winner Carrie Underwood will also be returning to the judges’ panel. However, I note the host, because Seacrest has been in the Idol game since the very beginning, going all the way back to his frosted tips. Plus, Bryan decided to give the longtime host his flowers by explaining how much work his colleague does on the show (and let me tell you, it's a heavier workload than I expected).

Seacrest is known for putting in more work than the average person. Between his radio show, his hosting gigs on American Idol and Wheel of Fortune, running his nonprofit organization, and so much more, he is seemingly always working. While some may think that hosting isn’t too big of a deal and it’s just announcing, it’s actually a lot more than that. And it’s something that Seacrest has been doing on American Idol for years.

Luke Bryan, who has been a judge since the beginning of the revived series, praised Seacrest and his job specifically while speaking to TV Insider and explaining the complexity of the gig. He said:

The fact that Seacrest has to study scripts, memorize the camera blocking, and be ready to roll with the unpredictability of reality television is miraculous. Of course, he’s had some flubs over the years, but since he’s been hosting American Idol for so long, everything is probably second-nature to him. Clearly, he's a pro at it all, and has been for a while, as Bryan explained. So, while this all sounds like a lot, it's probably just a normal weekday for the longtime host.

Even though I knew that Ryan Seacrest’s hosting gig on American Idol was anything but relaxing, it’s crazy to know what all he’s dealing with behind the scenes. Since he keeps coming back season after season, he doesn’t seem to mind the heavy workload. Either that, or he’s just having the time of his life and doesn’t want it to stop. And I can’t say I blame him, since Idol keeps proving to be a success.

Meanwhile, Seacrest actually addressed his busy schedule last year, saying he does sleep and he actually gets a “good night’s sleep.” So, while it seems like he has an unfathomable workload to me between hosting Wheel of Fortune and Idol full-time (among many other things), clearly, he has a routine and work ethic that works really well for him.

Considering American Idol Season 24 (which you will be able to watch on ABC and stream with a Hulu subscription) has already been in full swing with auditions, Seacrest has been as busy as ever, and that business will continue once the season actually premieres and the live shows begin later. You never know what to expect with live television, but Seacrest has proven time and time again that he’s ready for anything.

Ryan Seacrest is rounding out the 2025 TV schedule and ringing in 2026 with Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. The annual event will once again be taking place tonight on ABC. In addition to New York, Las Vegas, and Puerto Rico, the program is shaking things up with the countdown by adding Chicago to its celebration, giving those in the Central Time Zone the chance to really party. And that’s not the only way things are being shaken up, as a new ball will be dropping in New York, too. Now, Seacrest is proving he’s ready for all this with a hilarious meme.

According to CNN, the Constellation Ball is the ninth ball to drop in Times Square and is the largest in the history of the annual event. To celebrate, Seacrest shared a fun meme on Instagram with the caption, “When the ball drops and nothing else matters…” As you can see below, the Wheel of Fortune host used a clip of Jon Hamm from Your Friends & Neighbors (which you can stream with an Apple TV subscription) dancing in a nightclub that's been going viral, and it might be the best way to describe the vibe for tonight:

Watching the ball drop on New Year’s Eve is certainly an event, whether you’re actually one of the thousands who brave the crowds in Times Square or watch comfortably from your home. When the countdown starts, some people probably do feel that wave of euphoria that Hamm’s character Coop felt in the club.

Of course, even with a new ball, the vibes are still the same, and they are as exciting as ever. Seacrest, who has hosted the event for over 20 years, shared another post on Instagram with Rita Ora, along with the caption, “New ball, same super talented friend.” The two posed in front of the ball, as Ora will be hosting the festivities for a third time with the Wheel of Fortune host, so not everything is going to be different this Rockin’ Eve.

Meanwhile, there are likely to be many more memes to both describe Rockin’ Eve and to come out of the event, as there are every year. There are always surprises, and since it’s live, you never know what could happen. If anything, it should be entertaining to see this new ball drop in Times Square, and just from the looks of videos and pictures, it seems to be as spectacular as ever.

Fans will be able to see the ball drop approximately at midnight ET tonight, but the festivities kick off at 8 p.m. ET on ABC with Ryan Seacrest and New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. There will be much to look forward to, with a wide range of performers and likely many surprises. Aside from watching the Stranger Things finale, this is a fantastic way to ring in the new year!

Ryan Seacrest continues to dominate your 2025 TV schedule, hosting Wheel of Fortune and many other exciting TV projects. However, the “hardest working man in show business” still takes time to slow down and spend time with his family on Christmas. With this being his first Christmas without his father, Seacrest posted about the experience with fans taking the time to send their sweet thoughts his way.

Tragedy struck in October when Ryan Seacrest’s dad, Gary Lee Seacrest, passed away after a long battle with prostate cancer. Our favorite television host made sure to let his Instagram followers know how his holiday with his family was without his dad for the first time, and get ready to feel all of the emotions:

The American television host sure took some beautiful photos. We see Seacrest and his loved ones wearing matching pajamas as they pose next to their sparkling Christmas tree.

Other pictures include the before-and-after feast of yummy goodness, as well as the clan wearing jolly Christmas accessories, such as hats, reindeer ears, and Christmas tree glasses. As tough as it must have been for the Emmy winner and his family to celebrate a joyous occasion without Gary Lee Seacrest, it’s nice to see the clan still coming together and keeping holiday traditions alive.

Just like Ryan Seacrest spread Christmas cheer in his Instagram post, his followers made sure to do the same. Here is a batch of their sweet reactions to the Atlanta native’s Christmas experience:

• Sending Christmas wishes to all of you. I know that first and subsequent holidays without a parent. It never gets easier, but knowing they’re still with us always in some way brings peace. 🙏💙- @doctordesaimd
• Merry Christmas! Gary's spirit lives on through your smiles, tears and laughter. Have a super awesome day gang! ❤️💚❤️💚❤️🪽💚❤️💚❤️💚- @jollysparkles99
• That first year of an empty chair is always the toughest ✨Merry Christmas to all of you ☃️-@jannsproattklaas
• Love you Ryan!!! Your dad is always with you and your loved ones!!! Take comfort in knowing that !! Merry Christmas!!! ♥️♥️♥️🙏🙏🙏🙏- @_cloclo_8
• Merry Christmas to you and your family Ryan. Merry heavenly Christmas to Mr. Seacrest who's watching over his family . 🎅🎄🎁 ❤️💚❤️- @sldc1
• Ryan, I miss seeing him in the pictures too. I felt like I knew him . You were very fortunate to have had a wonderful dad like that. Great memories!!! - @rebecca_12007

It’s a very compassionate act to take the time to send kind words and holiday wishes. Acknowledging the heartbreaking absence of Ryan Seacrest’s dad and that his spirit lives on through the family, fans are gently reminding them that they were not alone this Christmas.

Fans weren’t the only ones who commented on the podcast host’s pics. Take a look at a few celebrity reactions that were pouring in for Seacrest and his family:

• Merry Christmas to you and your family Ryan ❤️❤️❤️- @1027kiisfm
• Thinking of you guys- @mariamenounos
• Merry Christmas & God Bless bro!- @mariolopez

Celebrating a festive holiday is never the same without the person who helped bring so much cheer. But it’s incredibly sweet for fans and celebrities to reach out to the A-lister during this tough time.

Other than keeping Christmas traditions with the fam, Ryan Seacrest continues to make himself busy in other ways. Other than his new hosting job for Wheel of Fortune, Seacrest will continue shaking things up by hosting Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve Countdown. Not to mention, he’ll resume hosting American Idol for season 24 on January 26th. With a packed schedule ahead, the American Top 40 radio host is clearly diving into the new year with love, dedication, and charisma that fans can never get enough of.

It must have been a real comfort for Ryan Seacrest to receive genuine Christmas wishes from fans and celebs as he navigates his first holiday without his dad. Their comments are a powerful reminder that love is all around us, even when times are tough.

Check your local listings to watch Seacrest host Wheel of Fortune or catch him the next day with new episodes streaming via Hulu subscription and Peacock subscription.

Between American Idol and Wheel of Fortune (and celebrating its million-dollar winner), Ryan Seacrest has remained busy on the 2025 TV schedule and will continue to do so on the 2026 TV schedule. Luckily, he’s been able to take a breather thanks to the Thanksgiving holiday. However, unsurprisingly, he's still working in a way, as he was preparing for the big feast by sharing a workout video and showing off his biceps. And I can’t stop laughing over the fans' responses.

On Wednesday, Seacrest, who is also prepping to return as host for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, took to Instagram to share a video of him working out, jokingly captioning the post, “Today’s workout is sponsored by the future version of me who will absolutely be going back for seconds.” So it makes sense that he would want to get a workout in before digging in, and he certainly looks mighty fit:

I applaud Seacrest’s determination to work out before Thanksgiving, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he worked out after Thanksgiving as well. But that isn’t what’s necessarily impressing fans. Many took to the comments of the post to comment not on his workout regimen but on how great he’s looking, and I’m chuckling at some of these responses:

• Ryan What a Workout love those biceps 💪 -dyan61042
• Wow!!🔥🔥🔥🔥💪💪👏👏👏😍😍😍😍 -carra_so
• Lookin Good!!!!👏👏👏 -clintcarlton
• Looking good Ryan🔥🔥🔥 -itsajackiethaaang
• 🔥🔥🔥 -129karyn

Ryan Seacrest has come a long way since sporting his frosted tips in the early years of American Idol, and it’s clear that he is still able to get people under his spell. I just love that so many of them didn’t even comment much on the post, but rather just sent emojis that really say it all. I can’t say I blame them, because he’s really looking good, and those biceps are just the icing on the cake.

Fans will be able to see much more of Seacrest as he continues to host Wheel of Fortune and New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. Just don’t expect him to show off his biceps, especially for the latter, since he’ll be standing in freezing temperatures in New York City. Plus, it’s possible that this won’t be the last workout video that Seacrest posts, and he could very well upload another one right around Christmas.

Overall, it is nice to see Seacrest doing something other than working, even if he was working out. I always wondered how he rests amid his busy schedule, so having the holidays to relax a bit before work starts back up again was definitely good for him.

Now, looking ahead, it will be fun to see him host Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve again, especially since this one will also include a Central Time Zone countdown, and as someone who has lived in that time zone her entire life, I couldn’t be happier. And speaking of things that make me happy, I'm very here for this workout post and the fans' reactions to it, too.

The game of Wheel of Fortune hasn’t changed much in the past 40-plus years it’s been on the air, with its strong premise making it one of the best game shows of all time. However, different elements have been added over time to keep things fresh, including the Million-Dollar Wedge and the Toss-Up rounds. Now, a new bonus round is about to be introduced that’s worth up to $500,000, but there’s a catch — it will be for one night only.

Wheel of Fortune will kick off a special DraftKings Casino Multiplier Tournament when it airs on the 2025 TV schedule from November 24 to 28. The top three players from the Monday-Thursday episodes will return on Friday and face off in a championship for the chance to compete in a special Toss-Up Bonus Round, where they could win a half-million dollars. Let’s break down how this new bonus round is going to work, per TV Insider.

While the first four episodes of the week will feature the typical Bonus Round puzzle, Friday’s puzzle will be replaced by five Toss-Up puzzles, all in the same category. The winner of the championship who advances to that round will have 45 seconds to solve all five, winning $10,000 per correctly solved Toss-Up. The contestant can move on to the next puzzle after an incorrect solve, but the clock won’t stop.

The player will still choose their category, have “RSTLNE” given to them and spin the bonus wheel, but for one night only, instead of dollar amounts and prizes, the envelopes will contain multipliers to increase winnings by 2, 3 or 4 times. That means if they get all five Toss-Up puzzles correct for $50,000 and pull the 4x multiplier, they win $200,000.

But here’s the big twist. During Friday’s championship, a special DraftKingsCasino 10X Multiplier Wild Wedge will be added to the Big Wheel in the regular rounds. If someone lands on it, they can choose to use it like a typical Wild Card or hold onto it for the Toss-Up Bonus Round. If that happens, a 10x envelope will be added to the bonus wheel, and the $50,000 possible for solving all five puzzles would increase to $500,000 if that envelope is chosen.

Wheel of Fortune definitely isn’t making it easy to win that maximum amount of money. It's a lot like how the million-dollar prize seemed unattainable until Christina Derevjanik gave Ryan Seacrest his first seven-digit winner on September 30, 2025, which was a milestone he’d been looking forward to since taking over for Pat Sajak as the game show’s host a year earlier.

One other addition will be made when Wheel of Fortune pairs with DraftKings Casino next week: Two multiplier wedges will be added to the wheel throughout the tournament. Contestants who land on these spaces will receive $1,000 for each of their chosen consonant on the board, which will be multiplied by 2, 3, 4 or 5, depending on the number on the other side of the wedge.

I’m really intrigued to see how this Toss-Up Bonus Round is going to work, and it’s kind of a bummer that we’ll only get to see it in one episode. However, if everything goes well, perhaps that will leave the door open for other sponsored tournaments to follow suit.

Check your local listings to see when to catch the game show in your area, or you can now stream Wheel of Fortune (and Jeopardy!) episodes the next day with either a Hulu subscription or Peacock subscription.

There is no greater indication that someone is getting old than seeing movies you grew up watching getting remade. Such is my feeling with the brand new version of The Running Man starring Glen Powell that hit theaters on November 14. The original Arnold Schwarzenegger movie is one that I saw countless times on television as a kid. It’s possibly the Schwarzenegger movie I’ve seen more than any other.

I was excited to see the new remake from director Edgar Wright. It’s a much more faithful version of Stephen King’s original dystopian nightmare, but with some of Edgar Wright’s trademark style thrown into the mix. There are a lot of reasons to appreciate a more faithful remake, but there is one part of the first film that was absolutely brilliant that I wish the remake had borrowed.

The Original Running Man Had An Inspired Piece Of Casting

While the first adaptation of The Running Man is drastically different from Stephen King’s story, the most wildly different take is the casting of Arnold Schwarzenegger, a massive human being, to play Ben Richards, much more of an everyman in the book. There is, however, an absolutely brilliant piece of casting in the film that goes a long way to making the movie, Richard Dawson as Damon Killian.

In the novel, as in the new movie, Dan Killian is the producer of The Running Man while the show is hosted by Bobby Thompson (or Bobby T as played by Colman Domingo in the new movie). The original film combines these roles into Damon Killian, both producer and host, who was played by Richard Dawson, who had only recently left as the actual host of Family Feud.

The decision to bring in an actor who was known primarily as a game show host, and to make that host, generally well-loved by audiences, absolutely despicable and the ultimate villain of the movie, was genius. It was an absolutely amazing subversion of expectations. It’s one of the earliest memories I have of seeing an actor work “against type” in a big way, and the new film could have really had some fun if it had gone the same route.

The Running Man Remake Should Have Brought In A Modern Game Show Host

Colman Domingo plays the host of The Running Man in the new film, and, because he’s Colman Domingo, he’s great. It’s a small role without a great deal of depth, but it’s a character who only needs to be charismatic, and Domingo has that in bunches.

That said, I can’t help but think the movie could have had some real fun if it had gone the same route as the original Running Man and cast an actual game show host in the role of Bobby T. Imagine if the movie had gone with Steve Harvey, the current host of Family Feud, but made him a truly terrible person. Personally, I would have loved to see Ryan Seacrest, the host of, I think, everything on TV except Family Feud, play the most awful version of himself that he possibly could.

Overall, the new Running Man is still a solidly good movie without this, and changing the casting of the show’s host wouldn’t have saved the movie from its tragically bad ending. But it could have added something more to the movie and paid a bit of homage to the original beyond a brief Arnold Schwarzenegger cameo. Maybe next time.

As wild as it may be to believe, the end of 2025 is imminent. The 2025 TV schedule is winding down, and as people like to fill their time in December watching the best Christmas movies, there's one TV event that dominates the last day of the year -- Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. The long-running program will return to ABC on December 31st at 8:00 p.m. ET, and it's adding something brand new.

Ryan Seacrest, who has hosted the program for over twenty years now, will return for another celebration in New York's Times Square. Now, viewers can expect another group to join the fold, and I'm shocked it took the program this long to host a Midwestern New Year's celebration.

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve Is Adding Chicago To Its 2026 Countdown Celebration

For the first time in over fifty years, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve will add a Central Time Zone countdown celebration. While competitors like CBS have hosted a countdown from Nashville, Tennessee, the ABC program will have a team in Chicago, Illinois. Details on who will host the Chicago countdown are still forthcoming, but viewers and attendees can expect live performances, celebrity appearances and a designated host for the festivities.

If Chicago is hoping to tap homegrown stars for the program, singer Jennifer Hudson would be a great choice. Given all the major milestones in her career, I think she'd make a great host of the event or the perfect live performer to sing "Auld Lang Syne." I'd almost rather see her host, however, so they could do a "spirit tunnel" for every special guest like she does on her show.

Midwesterners Will Get To Watch The Ball Drop In Their Time Zone On ABC

While there have been options to watch a ball drop in the Midwest for a while, I feel that Chicago teaming up with Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve adds more validity to the experience. Growing up in the Midwest, obviously, children aren't able to celebrate New Year's in the same way that adults are. Staying home and watching TV to see the clock strike midnight is the biggest thrill, and what I love is that now a lot of kids living in the Central Time Zone will get to experience that, thanks to one of the biggest networks.

As an adult, I'm almost tempted to make the trip from where I live to Chicago to be part of the televised celebration, and it's cool to have the option. Personally, I've heard from many people that the Times Square experience on New Years Eve is not great (and I can't understand why that's their perspective). Also, it can get pretty cold in the Windy City, so unless I'm rocking heated coats like the broadcasters, I may celebrate from home.

I'm curious as to whether another major network, like CNN, will try to have a Chicago presence as well in an attempt to compete with ABC. Really, though, I'm just hoping to see the feud between Ryan Seacrest and Andy Cohen reignite after all the excitement that one year where he called him out. Let's bring back old-school rivalries between hosts. I feel like this generation is missing out on that with the late-night television scene dwindling in some respects.

Tune in to see the ball drop on ABC via Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest on December 31st beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET. I'll be waiting for more details on who will be hosting the Chicago celebration in the meantime, and I hope it ends up being worth getting excited about.

The 2025 TV schedule continues to bring us unexpected viral moments to obsess over even as the year winds down. One of the latest sagas involves Dancing with the Stars’ Derek Hough after he and his co-judges appeared on the premiere of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. Following the dancing pros’ episode, host Ryan Seacrest reported that Hough stood on the WOF wheel while they were at a commercial break. Now, the 40-year-old dancer has entered the conversation.

As the special iteration of the staple game show is getting into its sixth season, this story has taken a surprise turn. After Hough was informed of Seacrest’s statement, he took to his Instagram Stories to respond. He shared that the headlines pertaining to him getting onto the classic game piece and being spun around were false. He did mention he believes it’d be quite fun, though. Check out his full Story below:

With the Hairspray! Live actor’s confession shared, it’ll be interesting to see how this story develops. I don’t doubt that he and his peers were having fun during down time, based on what they do during DWTS commercial breaks, but to what extent seems unclear at this point. Hough ended up winning over $60k for Feeding America and was understandably excited about his gains.

Regardless of what may have gone down, the important thing is that the wheel remains in fine working order. Beyond the TV stars’ crossover, their two iconic programs have delivered plenty of excitement recently. Season 34 DWTS fan voting has been hitting record highs in addition to plenty of YouTube streams. Meanwhile WOF experienced its first million dollar winner under Seacrest’s reign, which he continues to celebrate.

At the time of writing, Seacrest hasn’t made a comment about Hough’s denial of jumping onto the wheel while on the ABC set. But one thing is for sure, Hough has certainly made his perspective clear in regards to his experience while appearing on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. Time will tell whether or not we’ll hear more about this Wheel of Fortune episode, and the details surrounding it.

If you’d like to stream the notable premiere, you can do so with a Hulu subscription. You can also watch the celebrity version of Wheel of Fortune (with no one jumping on the wheel) on ABC, every Friday at 8 p.m. ET, or stream it the following day. Alternatively, if you’re looking for Hough’s regular home, and some more movement on set, Dancing with the Stars airs new episodes Tuesdays on ABC or with a Disney+ subscription at 8 p.m. ET.

If you’ve been watching Dancing with the Stars on the 2025 TV schedule, you know the judges can get animated. Derek Hough is not afraid to stand up to demonstrate a move or sing his praises, and Bruno Tonioli is no stranger to enthusiastically gesturing and taking his jacket off while he gives feedback. Well, recently, the two of them, and pro Jenna Johnson, took that big energy over to Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. At one point, Hough tried to jump on the 2,400 lb wheel, and now Ryan Seacrest has a new rule for contestants.

The highly entertaining DWTS judges and the fan-favorite pro stopped in to play what I'd argue is one of the best game shows back on September 26. To note, this was also Seacrest’s first episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, so the stakes were a bit higher than your average ep.

The second Hough was introduced, he was dancing. Then, while talking to Vanna White during introductions, he did say (and imitate) that he could jump over the table to go dance with her. After solving a puzzle at one point, he even celebrated by getting up on the table and putting his hands out victoriously. On top of all that, he also got on the wheel during a commercial break, which is a no-no according to Ryan Seacrest, who told USA Today:

Well, this has me wondering if anyone has ever tried to stand on the wheel before. However, I wouldn’t be shocked if this was a first. I also have to say, it’s a solid rule to have in place.

While it’s hilarious to think about the dancer jumping onto the infamous wheel, as Seacrest noted, there’s only one wheel physically created to accommodate the show. I doubt anyone wants to be in a “you break it, you buy it” situation with it. So, the host made a new rule for the celebrity contestants-- maybe just stick to the ledge instead.

As I explained earlier, Hough did end up doing just that. While I’m kind of bummed we didn’t get to see him jump onto the wheel, I am happy we got this alternative on the air:

It's probably best for safety purposes, anyway. Though I'd probably just be celebrating on social media, like Seacrest did with his first million-dollar winner.

The jumping on the wheel ended up being understandable, though, at least in my opinion, because Derek Hough did win the episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (you can watch it with a Hulu subscription). Ultimately, he took in $63,350 for Feeding America and a new rule. I bet there aren’t many winners who can say that.

Now to watch celebrities playing Wheel of Fortune and not jumping on the wheel, you can catch new episodes every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Meanwhile, to see Hough, Bruno Tonioli, Jenna Johnson Chmerkovskiy and more dancing, judging, and occasionally jumping and/or dancing on tables on Dancing with the Stars, you can watch new episodes on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET either on ABC or with a Disney+ subscription.

Knocked Up is considered one of the best movies of the 2000s, and I watched it multiple times when it first came out, relaying the story of career-minded Allison, who gets pregnant after a one-night stand. When I saw the title on the 2025 Netflix schedule, I decided to throw it on for the first time in well over a decade, and I’m shocked that nearly 20 years after it was first released, one side plot is as hilarious and relevant as ever.

The main story in Knocked Up revolves around Katherine Heigl’s Allison trying to make a relationship work with Ben (Seth Rogen) after they learn they’re going to have a baby. The Judd Apatow movie stars a good portion of the Freaks and Geeks cast as Ben’s stoner housemates, as well as Apatow’s wife and daughters — in other words, A+ casting. Still, the performance that stuck out to me after all this time was Ryan Seacrest playing an exaggerated version of himself.

Allison is an up-and-comer at E! News, and she ends up being the crew member on the other end of Ryan Seacrest’s epic rant about the Hollywood celebrities who waste his time.

Upon being notified that Jessica Simpson is late for her interview, the host makes it clear that he doesn’t have time to wait on her, because he has to be at American Idol. Then he really gets going:

Somebody get this man a cookie!

Jessica Simpson probably doesn’t deserve to be the poster child of the kind of celebrity Ryan Seacrest is complaining about here, but it’s so funny to me how much of the rest of it is still relevant. The man still has 97 jobs, and he’s definitely just as famous (if not more so) than anyone he shares airtime with.

In fact, now he’s the one getting interviewed a lot of the time, and the question he’s being asked is, “Do you sleep?” Wheel of Fortune contestant Jarri Machelle-Melton posed that query to him on the October 1 episode, TV Insider reports, to which Ryan Seacrest responded:

The best comedy has a certain percentage of truth to it, so it’s almost surprising to me that Ryan Seacrest would agree to a bit where he’s shading young Hollywood so hard and saying they “fuck his day up.” (Can you imagine him saying that to his Wheel of Fortune contestants?)

I’m so glad this Knocked Up side plot exists, though, and it was just one part of the Judd Apatow comedy that made it worth the rewatch. The 2007 classic is available to stream now with a Netflix subscription.

2025 marked a productive year for Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban. The country singer has his “High and Alive World Tour”, and the Australian actress has just wrapped up filming for Practical Magical 2. Their personal lives, however, have hit a rough patch as it was revealed that the couple is splitting up. In the wake of their divorce news, fans are now stumbling upon the awkward moment when Ryan Seacrest asked Urban about Kidman a few months ago.

It was a real shock to discover that after 19 years of marriage, Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman are getting a divorce. Looking back on a July episode of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, fans can’t help but now notice the awkward moment between its host and Urban when he was asked about his wife’s career success. Take a look at the beginning of the seemingly uncomfortable exchange:

• SEACREST: Do people tell you your wife is in everything? Like everything. Nicole Kidman is in everything.
• URBAN: Yeah, yeah. She’s almost as busy as you, but not quite. Very close, though.

As the “Break On Me” singer gave a big laugh when he responded to Ryan Seacrest’s question, it almost seemed like he was trying to steer the conversation away from getting too personal on how he feels about Nicole Kidman’s busy schedule. You would think maybe he’d gush about his then-wife’s success. Instead, it came off more as masking discomfort with humor.

You can’t deny that the Big Little Lies actress has been racking up TV and film projects lately. 2024 was especially a busy year for her, starring in A Family Affair and Spellbound (which are both streaming on your Netflix subscription) as well as the theatrical release of Babygirl.

Kidman’s television roles also expanded that year on your streaming schedule, like leading Amazon Prime’s Expats and Netflix’s The Perfect Couple. The Oscar-winner even managed to quietly rack up a female-driven milestone, partnering with at least 19 female directors and showrunners within the past eight years. Now, that’s a well-deserved pat on the back.

More awkwardness followed between Ryan Seacrest and Keith Urban in their podcast episode together. While the American Idol host continued to praise Nicole Kidman’s projects, he asked the CMA Award winner about balancing his busy life with Nicole Kidman’s. Here was the country musician’s response:

• SEACREST: Is that something with your life, her life and mapping it all out with production and touring—that’s a job, isn’t it?
• URBAN: It’s a job. Yeah. [...] Life is in session.

The “For You” singer continued to look uncomfortable and pause before sharing his responses. This could be a hint that the strain on his personal life was already affecting him a few months before his and Kidman’s divorce announcement came out. You can watch the podcast episode in full below:

Ryan Seacrest’s podcast interview with Keith Urban could be an example of one of the many hints that trouble was brewing in the Grammy winner and Nicole Kidman’s marriage. In a Harper’s Bazaar interview in 2021, the Far and Away actress said the two were “always working through stuff” with an “enormous amount of give and take.”

When looking back, there were some other red flags to think about, like Kidman’s blunt response to not wanting to work alongside her husband for a show, or when Urban “disconnected from Zoom” after being asked about his wife doing steamy sex scenes with Zac Efron. Perhaps the graffiti was always on the wall, and we could have always been looking at signs of a marriage deteriorating.

Based on the awkward moment when Ryan Seacrest asked Keith Urban about Nicole Kidman shortly before their divorce announcement, it now seems like an early sign that the couple’s relationship was already strained. I hope the two parties find peace and healing as they navigate this difficult transition in their lives.

Winning an amount of money that would actually change one's life has to be a pretty incredible feeling, and such a possibility is the big reason that many people try their skills and luck on game shows. But it's not just the winners who get pumped, considering how incredibly excited Ryan Seacrest seemed to be after witnesing the first million-dollar winner on Wheel of Fortune during his tenure as host. You’d think he was the one who won all that money.

Last night, a Wheel of Fortune contestant defied all the odds and walked away with the biggest prize of one million dollars. If you don’t watch the show, but you follow Ryan Seacrest on Instagram, then you’d still know this happened, because his social media page is absolutely filled with it. There are no fewer than five different IG Stories about it, as well as the main post highlighting the moment.

I mean, I guess I don’t blame him. I don’t usually watch Wheel of Fortune, but even I’m excited to see this. I had no idea how long the odds were to win that particular prize. The number of things that have to go right for a person to even get a shot at winning the $1 million, all before you even try to solve the puzzle, is wild.

First, you have hit the right spot on the wheel, and guess a correct letter. Then you have to solve that puzzle. Then you have to be the overall winner. Then the $1 million goes into a wheel that you spin to select a blind prize, so you have to hit the right spot. Then you have to solve the bonus round puzzle. Winning on Wheel of Fortune is wild.

This is why Christina, the world’s newest millionaire, is only the 14th person even to go for the prize during the bonus round, and only the fifth person in the history of the show to win $1 million. She’s also the first to win it since Seacrest took over as host from Pat Sajak a little over a year ago. Seacrest had previously said he was looking forward to the first million-dollar winner. Considering how rare the win is, this is the fifth win in the 17 years the prize has been available. Seacrest got his wish fairly quickly in his tenure.

It isn’t easy to describe just how excited Ryan Seacrest is when he gives away seven figures. The look on his face in that brief moment when he knows she’s won, but she doesn’t know it yet, is absolutely fantastic. Check it out in the full video of the win below.

Ryan Seacrest has so many jobs these days that it’s hard not to see him hosting something on TV, but this moment has to be right up there as a career highlight for him. I’m not sure he’s been this excited when crowning winners on American Idol.

A new season of Wheel of Fortune has kicked off on the 2025 TV schedule, which means a second season of Ryan Seacrest as host. While not as iconic a duo as Pat Sajak and Vanna White, the new host does seem to have a good thing going with his co-host so far. The two apparently even have a strange pre-show ritual that proves they’ve got each other’s backs.

It’s kind of hard to believe we’re into our second season of Wheel of Fortune since Pat Sajak — one of the greatest game show hosts of all time — retired.. Still, it’s been kind of delightful to see the camaraderie grow between Sajak's replacement, Ryan Seacrest, and longtime letter-turner Vanna White, including the adorable “V-Dubs” nickname he gave her. White said they even have fallen into a routine before taking the stage. She told People:

She said that he is, “of course,” honest in his response, which shows just how comfortable the two are around each other. It’s a two-way street, too, when it comes to taking care of each other’s infectious smiles. Ryan Seacrest previously revealed the super-thoughtful gift he received from Vanna White, saying:

White strips may not be the most extravagant gift Ryan Seacrest has ever received, but isn’t it the small, practical things that sometimes mean the most?

Vanna White and Ryan Seacrest have gotten along famously from the very beginning of his stint as Wheel of Fortune’s new host. Soon after taking the job, the American Idol host confirmed White’s icon status, saying, “She’s a legend,” and exactly as lovely as you’d expect. Fans got a peek at their chemistry ahead of his debut, as well, when Wheel of Fortune posted some fun behind-the-scenes footage from a photoshoot.

It doesn’t sound like it took too long for the hijinks to start between them, either, as Ryan Seacrest apparently pranked his co-star by putting her 1996 Christmas album on for one of their pre-show meetings to see if she’d notice. (Spoiler: It took her a minute!)

It’s undoubtedly a relief to fans that Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White have gotten off to a strong start on Wheel of Fortune after rumors spread that there was trouble backstage between the two.

Check your local listings to see when Wheel of Fortune airs in your area, but now you can catch episodes the next day on streaming, with either a Hulu subscription or a Peacock subscription. You can also catch the co-hosts and their perfectly white smiles on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune at 8 p.m. ET Fridays on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu

Fans of Wheel of Fortune love to call out contestants for terrible guesses and hilarious mistakes, but there are plenty of instances when they’ve gone to bat for them, too. Ryan Seacrest began his second season hosting one of the best game shows of all time, with Season 43 premiering on the 2025 TV schedule this month, and already there has been controversy, as a contestant lost after Seacrest talked over her. Here’s what apparently went down.

Wheel of Fortune has been honoring educators on Teachers Week, and Pia Wilson from Dallas, Texas, was one contestant on the September 16 episode. During the last puzzle, she guessed the final consonant, but by the time Ryan Seacrest finished explaining that only vowels were left, her 3 seconds to solve the puzzle had passed. The next contestant immediately got it, and I’d say Wilson didn’t look too pleased:

Fans immediately hit up Reddit to complain that Wilson was “robbed,” and one person who claimed to have been in the audience that day said the incident did, in fact, cause some issues behind the scenes. As wheelycrazyeugene recalls:

Upon watching the episode back, you can hear that Pia Wilson does begin to solve the puzzle after Ryan Seacrest stops talking, but the buzzer cuts her off. The Redditor continued:

The person who was reportedly in the audience said that another round was played off-camera to make up for Pia Wilson losing out on the $10,200 she had accumulated in that Speed-Up round. While she apparently won that round, there’s no word on how much money she was able to add to the $4,000 she had earned on previous puzzles.

I think it’s absolutely wild that a whole different puzzle was played to make up for the faux pas. Why couldn’t they have just given the teacher the amount she would have earned? This also begs the question of whether, going forward, the contestants’ three seconds will start after Ryan Seacrest finishes speaking.

I do hope Wheel of Fortune makes that change for future games, but either way, I’m glad they did something to make up for Pia Wilson not being given her fair chance. Check your local listings to see when the game show airs in your area, or you can stream the episode discussed above and others with either a Hulu subscription or Peacock subscription.

The number of jobs that Ryan Seacrest holds — especially those big hosting gigs — has been marveled at for years. Between Wheel of Fortune (whose new season just premiered on the 2025 TV schedule), American Idol, his American Top 40 radio show and more, I’ve always wondered when the man finds time to sleep. Well, someone finally asked him that question.

Ryan Seacrest’s second season as the new host of Wheel of Fortune just started (with episodes now streaming next-day with a Hulu subscription or Peacock subscription) after taking over last year from Pat Sajak. Despite the game show adding to Seacrest’s already-full schedule, he assures fans that he is finding time to get some shut-eye, telling People:

In addition to hosting one of the best game shows of all time and the other shows mentioned above, Ryan Seacrest has also published a children’s book, The Make-Believers, works with pediatric hospitals through his Ryan Seacrest Foundation and hosts the weekly syndicated radio show On Air with Ryan, among other things, so yes, one can see how his waking hours might quickly be filled.

It makes sense, then, why he’d like to shorten the 15-minute breaks between Wheel of Fortune tapings to 9 minutes. Every second counts when you’re Ryan Seacrest.

As for falling asleep immediately to make sure he’s refreshed enough for the next activity-filled day, the New Year’s Rockin’ Eve host has a trick. He said:

That’s a pretty good idea, given how important it is for him to get his rest. Back in 2020, fans thought Ryan Seacrest was having a stroke when his face drooped and his speech started to slur during American Idol’s live finale. The host said his viral health scare was due to exhaustion, and in the years that followed, he reportedly got better at not overworking.

In fact, part of the reason he walked away from Live with Kelly and Ryan was allegedly to avoid the burnout of traveling back and forth between Los Angeles and New York.

Sleep is an important part of everyone’s health, but it seems especially important to get that mental and physical recovery when you’re as busy as Ryan Seacrest is — not to mention the physical toll Wheel of Fortune takes with contestants getting physical with him, his propensity to hit the floor to show off his breakdancing moves, and chasing after huge blocks of cheese.

I guess staying active helps the host stay awake, and I can definitely see how he can fall asleep the second his head hits his special pillow. I hope he’s rested up, because the new Wheel of Fortune season has just begun — with that new wedge on the wheel. Check your local listings to see when it plays in your area, or stream episodes the next day on Peacock or Hulu.

Of all the small-screen debuts popping up in the 2025 Fall TV schedule, only one can change someone’s fate with the spin of a wheel: Wheel of Fortune. (Okay, The Price Is Right also counts, but we’re only talking about horizontal wheels here.) One of the best game shows of all time, WoF is gearing up for Season 43 to debut, and it looks like there’s an interesting new wheel wedge to mark the occasion.

Audiences got one of their first looks at the new season when Wheel of Fortune shared a behind-the-scenes video on Instagram that featured a quick look at the latest iteration of the big wheel. Check it out below and see if you can spot the seemingly new addition right off.

In the comment section of the video, one fan chimed in and pointed out the assumed change, sparking the response also seen below:

• Wait, is that a new wedge I see on the wheel? - @iamdanielmcgee
  • Yeah, and it looks like it reads “Year of Fun” on top. I could be wrong thoe. - @germanname1990

Sure enough, there does seem to be a new wheel entry labeled as "Year of Fun," with some colorful splashes on the wedge itself. Perhaps someone can say differently, that it's actually saying "Hear oh Fan," but then I'm going to also want to know what "Hear oh Fan" means as a game show prize.

Considering Wheel of Fortune is still technically celebrating 50 years since its TV debut, the prize wedge could have something to do with that anniversary, even if the prize itself doesn't directly tie into anything specific. But what kind of a prize could that even be, and is it going to be big enough to cause players to tackle Ryan Seacrest on the set in celebration?

My Guesses For What The "Year Of Fun" Wheel Wedge Means

Wheel of Fortune obviously gives away some huge and lavish prizes each season that no doubt add up over time, which makes a "Year of..." anything seem like potential overkill. In that way, I can't imagine it will be akin to a year-long cruise that circumnavigates the globe a dozen times, since that would be a costly affair. (Maybe if the new prize was set as a third of a wedge like the $1 million prize, I'd think differently. ) But I also don't think it'll end up being a slightly jokey prize like Let's Make a Deal's giving players a year's supply of Rice-a-Roni. So what else could it be?

• Season tickets for a desired sports team.
• Concert tickets from a specific arena, or from a specific artist/group.
• A year's worth of Broadway tickets.
• A year-long pass to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios Orlando or another major theme park.
• Free movie tickets (and snacks) for a year from a specific theater chain.
• The contestant is forced to listen to the band Fun's two albums on repeat for an entire year.

Okay, so that last one is probably the least likely choice, but most of the others seem feasible at least. Which isn't to say any of those ideas are correct, but I'm eager to see how close I got.

Another New Wedge May Also Be Involved

Directly across from the presumed "Year of Fun" wedge is another wheel spot that doesn't immediately look familiar to me, though I could easily be wrong about that. Part of the issue is that it's nearly impossible to read the words on the wedge.

If I squint, I can almost convince myself that it says something about Canada, possibly indicating a Canadian vacation, but it could also easily be canapes or Canton or something about a camera. There's only way surefire way to find out, and it involves being in front of your TV when new episodes debut.

Wheel of Fortune Season 43 will premiere on Monday, September 8, in syndication. Thankfully for any fans like me whose pre-primetime game shows often get preempted by weather reports and local news updates, both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune will steam the next day with either a Peacock subscription or a Hulu subscription.

Fans of Wheel of Fortune could probably compare, contrast and debate for days the differences between Ryan Seacrest and one of the greatest game show hosts of all time Pat Sajak, but there’s one aspect of the game that’s way more prevalent in the current iteration. Contestants have a tendency to “get physical” with Seacrest, and he weighed in on how he feels about that.

Ryan Seacrest’s takeover of one of the most popular game shows has been largely considered a success, as he’ll celebrate one year with the show in September of the 2025 TV schedule. In a discussion with THR about his experience so far, Seacrest revealed his favorite part of the gig, while acknowledging that he’s taken a beating. He said:

Compare the two Wheel of Fortune hosts all you want, but Pat Sajak certainly never had to worry about being manhandled by contestants in the same way as 5-foot-8 Ryan Seacrest. The new host has had several experiences with overexcited players, including being put in a headlock by a former pro wrestler and being tossed to the ground, which you can see below:

It should be noted that some of Ryan Seacrest’s tumbles are self-inflicted. The host — who will likely never live down that clip of him falling out of his chair on Live with Kelly and Ryan — took a surprisingly hard fall while chasing a wheel of cheese back in April. Wheel of Fortune also aired a clip from Seacrest and Vanna White’s ski trip in which the host crashed on the slopes, possibly (but probably not) causing his co-host to drop an F-bomb.

We also can’t forget the time he purposely threw himself to the ground in front of the big wheel to show off his (lack of) breakdancing moves following Raygun’s viral performance at the 2024 Paris Summer Games. Oh Raygun, the Olympics will never be the same.

Still, being willing to fall to the floor is way different than being tackled or wrestled down by a stranger on a game show, but it sounds like the host is a good sport about it. Ryan Seacrest did say interviewing the contestants was his favorite part of the gig — no doubt in addition to giving away money, which was the best part to Pat Sajak and Vanna White.

If you’ve missed all of the above mentioned instances of Ryan Seacrest takedowns and don’t have them recorded somewhere, that’s a problem that Wheel of Fortune is finally fixing. When the game show returns for Season 43 this fall, it will be available for next-day streaming with either a Hulu subscription or a Peacock subscription. (Fans who are tired of Jeopardy! getting pre-empted by news, sports or weather will also be able to catch the quiz show on the same platforms.)

Now you’ll never have to worry about missing any more Ryan Seacrest mistreatment. Stay tuned for that premiere date.

As the new era of Wheel of Fortune continues on the 2025 TV schedule, some fans are still finding it hard to get used to the new host. Pat Sajak stepped down last year, with Ryan Seacrest stepping up, and many were quick to share their opinions on Seacrest taking over. It also doesn’t help that he’s made some frequent mistakes, and people keep comparing him to Sajak. While it seemed like the takeover was going well, fans still have one complaint months after his first episode premiered. Although others actually love it.

A Lot Of People Really Hate The Intros Change

A thread on the Wheel of Fortune subreddit pointed out that intros have been longer since the American Idol host joined, saying that it’s about 6-7 minutes now. Seacrest speaks to the contestants longer than Sajak did, getting more information about their lives and families and what made them want to do the show. It's one of the many complaints about Wheel fans have, and for a fair reason. A lot of people couldn’t care less about the intros, and even compared it to how fellow long-running game show Jeopardy! does things:

• The main reason I record the show—so I can fast forward through all the intros. So boring. I watch to solve puzzles, not hear about your collection of cow pies or how many kids you have with “J” names. -MarshmallowRhubarb
• It does feel like they're giving the contestants considerably more time for their introductions this season. -jjc927
• I thought they seemed longer now too. I rarely listened to the contestant entros before and definitely not now. -patricknkelly
• Definitely longer now, approaching Jeopardy level of nonsense spewed about each contestant. I just showed my fiance a Pat episode from 2007 to show him how quick they used to be haha -Dazzaa533

If it’s one thing that Wheel of Fortune fans can agree on, it’s the fact that some of the changes that have been made since Sajak left haven’t been for the better. Since people mostly watch Wheel for the puzzles and seeing how much money the contestants end up taking home, it makes sense that a lot of them don’t really care about the intros. But that’s not to say they’re all like that.

But A Few People Welcome It

Some fans actually like the longer intros, agreeing that they enjoy learning more about the contestants and seeing them get excited to talk about their lives and families. It’s also the fact that you are seeing these contestants for a half hour and maybe even rooting for someone. Knowing what they’re all about and who they are can sometimes make the episode worth it, as Takora06 shared:

Obviously, there is only so much time for each episode, so it’s not surprising that people would rather just skip through to the game rather than hear each contestant talk about themselves for a couple of minutes. But it does make things fun when you learn who’s competing and why, and then seeing their family at the end if they make it to the bonus puzzle. In the end, WOF fans have strong opinions.

It's been hard for people to get used to Seacrest after Sajak retired, especially since he hosted for decades. It was expected that some things would change, but that doesn’t mean that people have to like it. Whether more changes will come next season is unknown, so fans will just have to tune in later this year and see. In the meantime, check your local listings to see when and where you can watch new episodes of Wheel of Fortune.

When Ryan Seacrest was revealed to be Pat Sajak’s replacement as the host of Wheel of Fortune — one of the best game shows of all time — one thing that made Vanna White feel better about losing her colleague of 40-plus years was Seacrest’s repeated insistence that he wasn’t trying to change anything Sajak had spent decades establishing. But it turns out there is one thing that he would like to adjust, and it’s very on-brand for Seacrest.

As Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White continue to appear in syndication on the 2025 TV schedule, fans have mostly accepted the new host since he made his Wheel of Fortune debut. The co-hosts recently took WPXI Channel 11 behind the scenes of the game show, discussing the fast-paced operation that allows them to film six episodes a day, back-to-back. They shared that there’s typically a 15-minute break in between games, but that’s where Seacrest sees an opportunity for change. He joked:

Coming from someone who holds multiple major hosting gigs simultaneously, it makes sense that Ryan Seacrest would understand the value of every minute and work to maximize his time. When he’s not hosting Wheel of Fortune, after all, he’s introducing the world to budding musicians on American Idol and counting down the hits on the American Top 40 radio show.

By cutting 6 minutes out of every break, Ryan Seacrest — and Vanna White and the entire cast and crew — could technically get back a half-hour of the day. However, I have to imagine the quicker changeover might not be as easy for Seacrest’s on-air partner.

While the host does have to change his wardrobe between tapings, I'm guessing that putting on a new suit is a slightly quicker process than Vanna White’s breaktime routine.

Vanna White’s iconic outfits have been an important part of Wheel of Fortune for decades, and while trying on 20 to 30 dresses before taping starts likely makes her changing process more efficient, I am exhausted just thinking about her having only 15 minutes to get a new gown on and make any necessary hair and makeup adjustments.

Would it even be physically possible to do it in 9 minutes? And that’s not even taking into consideration what all the crew has to do to prepare for the next taping.

Filming six episodes a day does sound like a lot, but only having to work 34 days a year for an eight-figure salary is likely motivation enough to keep things moving.

With Wheel of Fortune being a well-oiled machine 42 seasons in, I doubt any significant changes are coming anytime soon, regardless of how much Ryan Seacrest wants those 30 minutes of his day back.

Check your local listings to see when Wheel Of Fortune airs in your area, and you can catch Pat Sajak hosting one last season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune at 8 p.m. ET Wednesdays on ABC and streaming the next day with a Hulu subscription.

Ryan Seacrest’s list of hosting jobs has expanded quite a bit over the course of his career, from American Idol to E! News to Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and now Wheel of Fortune among many other projects. He also hosted Live! with Kelly and Ryan from 2017 to 2023, until it became too hard for him to travel from LA to New York so much. Seacrest still keeps in touch with his former co-host, though, and there’s even a reunion coming up very soon.

When Seacrest bowed out of Live, it was certainly an emotional time, especially given how close he became with Kelly Ripa. Although he’s been busy, juggling American Idol and Wheel of Fortune, that isn’t stopping him from reuniting with Ripa. Seacrest told E! News that he’s going to be appearing on Live! with Kelly and Mark in the near future, and I love hearing how close he still is with the couple:

With Idol's latest season nearing its conclusion on the 2025 TV schedule, it makes sense for Ryan Seacrest to appear on the talk show. He'll likely promote the singing competition series while he's there. I love when things work out, and I'm pleased that he'll have an opportunity to chop it up with his former co-star on his old stomping grounds. Thankfully, "a couple weeks" isn't a long time to wait, so fans will get to see Seacrest and Ripa share the screen soon!

Of course, this won't be the first time Seacrest will have appeared on his former talk show since his exit. Last October, he and his sister, Meredith Seacrest-Leach, were guests on Live! with Kelly and Mark and were there to promote their new children’s book. Ripa came with the Wheel of Fortune jokes and absolutely roasted her former co-host. Those playful barbs further illustrated the close relationship the two media personalities have.

This season of American Idol also marks a reunion for Ryan Seacrest. Carrie Underwood returned to the show this season to judge, replacing Katy Perry. Unfortunately, Seacrest made a gaffe for the first time in the show's history when he failed to introduce Underwood in a recent episode after introducing fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. It's hard to say what exactly prompted that snafu. Underwood, who is one of the most famous Idol contestants, didn't appear all that happy, but we definitely can't say for sure that there's any kind of animosity there.

As for Live! with Kelly and Mark, I'd imagine that viewers will tune in to see Seacrest's latest appearance. I still miss seeing him host with Ripa on a regular basis, but I'm happy that the two are still close.

It was nearly 11 months ago that Pat Sajak — one of the best game show hosts of all time — bid an emotional farewell to Wheel of Fortune after four decades as its leader. Now we’re about to get him back — albeit temporarily. Celebrity Wheel of Fortune is set to premiere on the 2025 TV schedule with a fifth season that was taped before Sajak’s retirement. As we prepare to see him share the stage with Vanna White again, the famed letter-turner recalled what new host Ryan Seacrest did to make her feel good about the transition.

As tough as it was for all the Wheel Watchers to see Pat Sajak retire as Wheel of Fortune’s host, think about how Vanna White felt losing her partner after so many years. White has said she knew it would be hard to work with someone else, but she said Ryan Seacrest made the changeover really easy, telling TV Insider:

I love that Ryan Seacrest was able to provide that reassurance for Vanna White, showing through his actions and his words that he understood the responsibility of following Pat Sajak and how much Wheel of Fortune means to fans, and he wasn’t trying to come in and blow up the sturdy foundation that had been laid for him.

He provided the same assurance to fans, saying that his version of Wheel of Fortune would be the same that Pat Sajak was leaving. With Sony choosing Pat Sajak’s replacement so far in advance — and picking someone with so much hosting experience — the powers that be really set the crew and audience alike up for a smooth transition, and when Ryan Seacrest made his debut in 2024, fans took to him surprisingly quickly. (He does have his haters though.)

It’s going to be interesting to see Pat Sajak back in his rightful place on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. Fans will be able to easily compare the two hosts’ styles, with Ryan Seacrest continuing to lead the daily syndicated show while Sajak shows up in primetime Wednesdays on ABC.

Viewers are also likely to feel quite nostalgic seeing the former host reunite with Vanna White (despite the fact that she still sees Pat Sajak outside of the show). I know Kelly Ripa isn’t the only one of us that used to think they were married! All in all, I think it’s going to be a special season that fans will cherish, even while returning to Ryan Seacrest’s regularly scheduled programming.

Don’t miss Pat Sajak’s big return (and for-real last hurrah) on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Season 5, which premieres at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, April 30, on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu.

As American Idol Season 23 continues on the 2025 TV schedule, more and more contestants are getting cut each week, making the competition all the more brutal. However, it seems some brutal moments mayve taken place off-screen ater Ryan Seacrest made a specific Idol gaffe for what may be the first time ever. And first-time judge Carrie Underwood, one of the most famous American Idol contestants of all time, did not look happy.

Monday’s first live show of the season was pretty exciting, as fans were able to see the contestants performing live after all the auditions and pre-taped rounds, meaning they're one step closer to finding out who will be this season’s American Idol. In all the excitement, though, longtime host Seacrest actually failed to mention Underwood after introducing Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan. Although Underwood’s reaction was not shown, an insider told The U.S. Sun that the new judge was allegedly furious:

It’s unknown whether there’s anything going on between Seacrest and Underwood, but it’s possible that either he just forgot in the moment to mention the singer, or that his microphone just simply didn’t pick it up. Whatever the case may be, it appears she was not happy one bit over it, and she even apparently even commented on it to Luke Bryan as well. What I would give to be a fly on the wall for that brief conversation, which apparently went like this:

Even though it’s Carrie Underwood’s first season as a judge, she has proven that she has what it takes, especially when it comes to some big decisions she has to make. While things may be going well for her on-screen, there is no telling what is going on behind the scenes. Underwood and Seacrest go way back to when the Grammy winner was on American Idol’s fourth season, and it’s been great seeing them together again this season. But it’s hard to tell what this slip-up will do to their friendship and work relationship, whether intentional or not.

Meanwhile, American Idol is not the only job that has been giving Ryan Seacrest a hard time. He’s been hosting Wheel of Fortune since last fall following Pat Sajak’s retirement, and fans had strong opinions about his hosting gig. It also doesn’t help that Seacrest has made some fumbles, with people comparing him to how Sajak did things. It’s not so surprising, though, considering Sajak hosted Wheel for multiple decades, and it’s not easy to get used to a new host. For Vanna White, it's been an adjustment, and despite some bumps in the road, it seems she and Seacrest are doing well.

Ryan Seacrest has done a lot of hosting over the course of his career on top of American Idol and Wheel of Fortune, and even then, it would be expected for him to make a mistake or two. It’s hard to tell what really happened, and it should be interesting to see what vibes are like in these remaining episodes.

Two of the most popular places in the world to go on vacation are Walt Disney World and Hawaii. As somebody who is a fan of both places (having been to both multiple times), one spot that I have yet to visit, but certainly plan to one day is Aulani. That's Disney’s Resort on the island of Ohahu. It always looks quite incredible, and I have to admit Ryan Seacrest is making me want to book a trip right now.

Last night’s episode of American Idol took place from Disney’s Aulani Resort, as will tonight’s, and host Ryan Seacrest posted several shots to Instagram ahead of the night of music, showing off himself having a blast at Disney’s destination. It’s not quite Disney World, but the Disney vibes certainly permeate the place as Seacrest shows off while sporting his island-themed ears and hanging out with "the boss," Mickey Mouse.

Aulani opened back in 2011, designed by Walt Disney Imagineering's Joe Rhode. And over the years it has become a major destination among Disney Resorts. People will save up to have the perfect Disney vacation at Aulani the same way they will save up to have that once-in-a-lifetime Disney World vacation.

While Disney’s theme park resorts are its best-known properties, there are actually several other locations around the U.S. that are owned by Disney where you can vacation, including Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort and Disney's Vero Beach Resort. Being in such a popular vacation destination as Hawaii, Aulani is among the most popular among guests.

There are certainly ways to get the island vibe at other Disney locations. Disney World's Polynesian resort was one of its first two hotels and is still one of its most popular. Still, there's nothing quite like visitng the actual islands that inspired the resort.

During the recent Disney Shareholders' Meeting, Bob Iger was asked about the possibility of more Disney resorts similar to Aulani. There are certainly many vacation destinations around the world where Disney cannot currently be found, but a major resort without the expensive theme park could be located. However, Iger indicated there are no plans to expand the Aulani concept, making it a unique destination.

Aulani tends to have more in common with other Hawaii resorts than it does a Disney theme park, but the location does include character experiences not unlike those you’ll find at Disneyland or Walt Disney World. If you’re a serious Disney fan and you want to plan a vacation in Hawaii, there’s little reason to go anywhere else.

And, of course, Disney, never being too shy to feed the synergy machine, makes a point to be sure to incorporate its other business ventures during its popular TV shows. A lot of TV viewers certainly won’t be as familiar with Aulani as they are with Disney’s theme parks, but if it looks like a beautiful place to visit while Ryan Seacrest is showing it off, perhaps more people will consider it for their next island getaway.

Fans of Wheel of Fortune seem to be settling nicely into the Ryan Seacrest era of one of the best game shows of all time. While he’ll likely never have the same rapport with co-host Vanna White that Pat Sajak had for four decades, it’s been cute to hear about the little pranks Seacrest pulls on White and the nicknames they give each other. Staying on the show wasn’t an easy decision, though, the letter-turner revealed, opening up about her thought process.

Vanna White knows it’s been an adjustment — for both her and the Wheel watchers — to see someone new in the hosting position, and she has admitted that she considered retiring alongside Pat Sajak. As new episodes continue on the 2025 TV schedule, White spoke candidly with the Holding Kourt podcast about how she came to the decision to return, saying:

Although Vanna White previously said that the rumors that surrounded her contract negotiations were blown out of proportion, here she seemed to acknowledge that there’s always some drama, and maybe she and Sony really weren’t on the same page. However, not only did everything work out with her new contract, but with the new host. White continued:

It’s great to hear that Vanna White is happy with her decision to stick around, and that she approves of the job Pat Sajak’s replacement has been doing. Fans were quick to compliment Ryan Seacrest after his Wheel of Fortune debut, and I think having White still there was a big part of his being accepted so quickly.

Wheel of Fortune fans will have one more chance to see Pat Sajak — one of the best game show hosts ever — in action, when Celebrity Wheel of Fortune premieres at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, April 30. This season of famous faces spinning the big wheel taped last year before Sajak’s retirement, so be sure to tune in to see him and Vanna White together one last time.

Wheel of Fortune can be unpredictable between the ridiculous guesses and nail-biting wins or losses, and because of that, the series continues to keep America entertained on the 2025 TV schedule. What’s also entertaining is seeing how host Ryan Seacrest settles in after taking over for Pat Sajak, and he proved he's doing a swell job after having an A+ recovery to a surprisingly hard fall on set.

Seacrest has taken a surprising number of tumbles this season, which even brought on a supposed F-bomb from Vanna White, and it's a toss-up between being intentional and unintentional. But either way, it's funny. Now, Seacrest is basically a pro when it comes to recovery, and it came in handy during an episode this week.

Via the show's Instagram, while Seacrest and White were advertising a festival, they tried out their cheese-rolling skills, but the American Idol host took a nasty fall:

From the looks of White, it was definitely a surprise. However, Seacrest rolled with the punches, literally, and quickly got back up with the cheese and went straight back to his co-host with no problem. Let's just say, I'd like to buy him an A+ for this recovery and his "the show must go on" mentality.

The caption saying, “If we had a nickel for every time Ryan ended up on the floor this season…” makes it even better. He has fallen down, both intentionally and unintentionally, several times already, and he’s a champ at it every time.

The host is not afraid to embarrass himself, it seems. He’s roasted his lack of breakdancing skills and his lack of a love life, and it's always entertaining. Plus, it's been fun to see him adjust to this new role and really find his voice as the new co-host of Wheel of Fortune.

Unless rumors of Sajak thinking about returning are true, Seacrest will probably be hosting Wheel of Fortune for a while, meaning that this likely won’t be the last time he’s going to take a fall. He is having fun on set despite the multiple tumbles, and I would love nothing more than to see a compilation of his falls that just keeps getting updated every time he takes another one. Of course, only if he’s fine afterward.

Overall, Ryan Seacrest’s Wheel of Fortune debut has been getting mixed reactions from fans, mostly because Sajak did host for so long, and it’s hard to see someone else stepping up to the plate. But he is trying and doing a good job, and that’s really all that matters, even if he’s been fumbling at times when it comes to how he does certain things. In any case, Wheel is still as entertaining as ever, and not just because of the numerous falls.

As the new era of Wheel of Fortune continues with Ryan Seacrest as its freshman host for the 2025 TV schedule, Vanna White is still keeping the normalcy going. She signed a new contract in 2024 after a lengthy negotiation, but it’s still been an adjustment getting used to Seacrest. However, I just found out how many days a season she really puts in for her $10 million salary and my blood is now running thick with jealousy.

White has been co-hosting Wheel of Fortune since 1982, and has since become a not just a staple of the series along with former longtime host Pat Sajak, but a pop culture icon in general. After Sajak announced his retirement, it was unknown whether White would follow in his footsteps. Now that she’s sticking around, she opened up on the Elvis Duran Show on Z100 about what her work schedule really looks like, and it sounds like a dream. In her words:

Even though White still likely works behind the scenes for more than 34 days a year, including handling promos and/or preparing outfits, filming for just 34 days of the year really is pretty incredible for anyone viewed as a "TV star", especially considering how many episodes air each season.

Of course, filming six half-hour shows a day can be pretty draining, and those days are likely very long, since it's not as if the eps are filmed in clean-cut 30-minute chunks, and involve lots of stops and starts. All that said, however, filming for just over a month total sounds like a heavenly gig, and it’s even better knowing just how much White is making with her new contract.

Only filming for 34 days out of the year does actually make sense when it comes to Seacrest’s hosting abilities. The American Idol host received a bit of flak for making mistakes in his first year, as well as for not doing things exactly the way Sajak did. But he's a busy guy with a radio show and American Idol to host, among other things.

Even though he’s been filming six shows a day, the extended gap between production and airdates seemingly doesn't give him much time to look back and evaluate his performances to gauge what he could try to improve from show to show, which is probably why it’s taken a while to get used to him.

It's unknown if this has always been the case for Wheel of Fortune, though it's long been known that Jeopardy! films a full week of five episodes on Mondays. It might not sound easy to viewers, but it certainly seems to work. Even with all the interviews, planning, and other duties that don't happen on show-taping slots, 34 days with a massive salary would be pretty great, regardless of how long the shifts are.

Wheel of Fortune doesn’t have an end in sight, and for now, neither does Vanna White. It might help that she doesn’t film for too many days, even if those days are as long as ever. Since there are dozens and dozens of episodes of Wheel of Fortune that air weekly for weeks on end, it only makes sense that they film all of them pretty close together. And it sounds like White doesn’t seem to mind, at least not completely.

Not everyone gets to have the privilege (or otherwise) of working with the same person for four whole decades, but Vanna White shared that hallmark with her former Wheel of Fortune cohort Pat Sajak, who retired from hosting the syndicated show in 2024. Thankfully, she’s handled replacement host Ryan Seacrest’s arrival in with aplomb, but she knows some fans weren’t happy, and some still haven’t fully adjusted to a show without Sajak.

But he’s not entirely gone from either her life or from viewers’ televisions. (He’ll still be back for Celebrity WoF Season 3, assuming that lands on the 2025 TV schedule at some point.) She even addressed their most recent meet-up while appearing as a guest on the Elvis Duran Show. Here’s how she put it:

For the most part, Pat Sajak has stayed out of the spotlight in the time since he officially called it quits and delivered his emotional final episode address to viewers. But after seeing each other on a regular basis for so many years, with White confirming they are still filming 6 episodes a day for the current season's cycle, it would almost be weird and unsettling if White and Sajak went for an extended period without crossing paths. (Though maybe not, since the total amount of annual days filming is around 34.)

I also say all that as someone who has barely kept in touch with the vast majority of my former coworkers, and if there was a round where the category was "What Are You Doing?" and the finished puzzle was "Avoiding Communication With People I Used To See All The Time," I would probably solve it pretty quickly. But those kinships were definitely more short-lived than Vanna's Wheel of Fortune career.

It's unclear where exactly White touched base with Sajak again, but it's good to hear that he's looking well. Fans were quite worried about the longtime host when he had to have an emergency surgery in 2019, with a handful of other potentially worrisome moments cropping up in the years after.

Vanna White Answers A Question I've Always Wondered About

By and large, Vanna White has always come across as one of the nicest and least judgmental people on TV, not that she constantly has the opportunity to speak her mind while presenting on Wheel. But she further proved that distinction to be true when one of the radio show's co-hosts asked how she managed to avoid laughing at contestants when they make all-time horrible guesses. Without a lick of sardonic irony on her face, she answered with:

She's a better person than most of us, I think. There are probably some people out there who would laugh so hard at a wrong guess that they'd lose their job on the spot and have to be escorted out.

Wheel of Fortune airs weeknights in syndication, with Ryan Seacrest still waiting for somebody to win that $1 million prize.

There’s no arguing that Ryan Seacrest is a man of many talents. The man has been hired for some of the biggest hosting gigs out there, including American Idol (which returns to the 2025 TV schedule March 9) and as Pat Sajak’s replacement on one of the best game shows of all time. There may be a limit to his skills, however, because he recently showed off his breakdancing, and it bore a strong resemblance to Raygun, the viral Olympic dancer.

One thing you have to admire about Ryan Seacrest is his enthusiasm, and he had that in spades during a recent episode of Wheel of Fortune, when he literally hit the floor with some impromptu dance moves. The clip has to be seen to be believed, so thankfully the game show shared it to their Instagram:

That seems like enough to make Vanna White drop another F-bomb! Honestly, though, props to Ryan Seacrest for being so spry at his age. Not that 50 is super old or anything, but I am younger than that, and there will be no spinning on my back over here, thank you very much. He did admit that showcasing his breakdancing “lack of skills” resulted in his taking more than a couple aspirin.

The unscripted Wheel of Fortune moment also betrayed the fact that the American Top 40 host tuned into the Paris Olympics this past summer or was at least familiar with viral breakdancing sensation Raygun. Australian Rachael Gunn was one of the biggest figures to come out of the 2024 Summer Games. Tell me you don’t think Ryan Seacrest (aka RyGun, aka the Ryan-stone Cowboy) took inspiration from the epic moves below:

What I wouldn’t give to see Ryan Seacrest hit that kangaroo pose or do those toe touches!

Unfortunately, we all know that going viral is often not a good thing, and Raygun opened up about getting “so much hate” for her performance on the worldwide stage, in which she lost all three rounds of her dance battle and was swiftly eliminated. In fact, the whole ordeal — particularly the public’s cruel response — was so “devastating” that Raygun retired from competitive breakdancing in the aftermath.

It likely hasn’t been all bad, though. For better or worse, the dancer became something of a household name across the globe, and that could be a real career boost for Raygun. I mean, Ryan Seacrest is far from the only person to try their hand at the Australian’s dance moves, after all — though Minnesota Viking Cam Bynum’s shoutout to the Aussie was more obvious than Seacrest’s.

Unfortunately for the Wheel of Fortune host, breakdancing will not be part of the 2028 Summer Olympics, which will be held in Los Angeles — aka Ryan Seacrest’s backyard. What a missed opportunity that is.

Check your local listings to see when Wheel of Fortune airs in your area, and you can also catch Ryan Seacrest hosting American Idol Season 23, which premieres at 8 p.m. ET Sunday, March 9, on ABC.

When American Idol returns to the 2025 TV schedule, a new and yet familiar face will be amongst the judges. Carrie Underwood will make her debut on the panel on Season 23 — 20 years after standing on that stage as the winner of Season 4. That means it’ll be a reunion of sorts for her and Ryan Seacrest, who’s been the host for all 23 seasons, and there’s a good reason he’s determined to make this a big success for her.

Ryan Seacrest has reportedly taken Carrie Underwood “under his wing,” a source for OK! magazine said, as she prepares for her big full-circle moment on American Idol, and he’s apparently asked her fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie to do the same. The insider said:

Ryan Seacrest can clearly see how big of a win it was to nail down one of American Idol’s most successful contestants, and the longer she sticks around, the better. Honestly, there aren’t many bigger names they could have chosen, with Kelly Clarkson or Jennifer Hudson (two former coaches of The Voice) being among the few comparable alumni that immediately come to mind.

Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan know how big a deal it is to have a former winner sitting beside them, as they’ve both expressed that one of the biggest contributions Carrie Underwood brings is having first-hand knowledge of what the artists are experiencing. It makes sense that Ryan Seacrest — and all involved in American Idol’s production — would want to keep her around for as many seasons as possible.

Not only does Carrie Underwood have the experience and success that should inspire the contestants, but it sounds like she’s got what it takes to do the job, too. Katy Perry was hoping her replacement wouldn’t mince their words when giving feedback, and Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken agreed that the criticism contestants like himself got in earlier seasons of the show was helpful.

The “Before He Cheats” singer is likely to bring a good mix of old and new, as she has said she wants to be honest but constructive with the contestants.

It’s not just Ryan Seacrest and the current judges who have Carrie Underwood’s back. Former panelists Keith Urban, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell have all had glowing things to say about the incoming judge, with the latter downplaying how difficult the job is. Jackson, meanwhile, who was a judge on Underwood’s season along with Cowell and Paula Abdul, remembers the artist as one of his favorite auditions of all time.

It’ll be fun to see Carrie Underwood find her own favorite auditions and hopefully help mold singers to the same kind of success that she has found. American Idol Season 23 kicks off at 10:30 p.m. ET Sunday, March 2, on ABC with a post-Oscars audition special before debuting in its regular timeslot at 8 p.m. ET Sunday, March 9. Episodes will be available to stream with a Hulu subscription the next day.

Wheel of Fortune’s new era is continuing on the 2025 TV schedule, and fans are still finding it hard to get used to. After longtime host Pat Sajak retired last year, Ryan Seacrest stepped up as host, but it hasn’t been easy. On top of supposed rumors that there are troubles brewing behind the scenes, fans have not been giving Seacrest the benefit of the doubt, and after another slip-up, viewers just can’t seem to stop hating.

While Seacrest is no stranger to hosting, having hosted American Idol its entire run, his own radio show, E! News, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, just to name a few, Wheel of Fortune has been different. It’s been on the air nearly as long as he’s been alive, and he took over for a beloved host who is one of the best game show hosts ever. Seacrest has made some fumbles already since his first episode aired in September and a recent one involved him forgetting to tell a contestant to get rid of the Wild Card after going bankrupt.

One fan asked on the WOF Reddit why Seacrest forgot to tell them to dump the card, pointing out that he’s been doing it a lot in recent episodes, comparing him to Sajak, and wondering if he’s just been too lazy to remind players. This led to many people pointing out their gripes about Seacrest hosting, such as not reminding a player to call a letter before they solve in the last round when time is running out or the way he shows the money in the bonus round.

Pat Sajak hosted Wheel of Fortune for 41 seasons and was such a beloved one. I don’t blame fans for not getting used to Ryan Seacrest. But he is still new, so it might still take some time for him to really understand the ins and outs of hosting Wheel. Even hosting for 41 seasons, Sajak still made a mistake here and there. On top of that, Seacrest is also busy with other projects, so he can’t put his sole focus on Wheel. Fans may just have to continue being patient as he gets his bearings.

At the very least, Sajak isn’t staying away from Wheel of Fortune permanently. He made a fun cameo in a behind-the-scenes video celebrating the show’s 50^th anniversary. He’s also been hosting Celebrity Wheel of Fortune one last time before fully retiring. Seacrest will likely take over the spinoff as well, but for now, fans can still look forward to Sajak hosting it.

Whether fans will eventually get used to Seacrest and not nitpick everything he does or doesn’t do is hard to tell. He seems to be doing just fine on Wheel of Fortune, even if there are rumors floating around about Sajak allegedly rethinking his decision to retire. As of now, there isn’t any indication that Seacrest is already thinking about stepping away, so he’s sticking around for who knows how long.

Whenever game show contestants make wildly bad guesses or manage to lose out after coming so close to winning, it’s not so uncommon for viewers to play armchair quarterback while yelling any number of NSFW comments at the TV. Less common, however, are such exclamations from those heading up the game shows themselves. But that hasn’t stopped some Wheel of Fortune fans from thinking Vanna White dropped an F-bomb on the air.

Understandably, the moment in question didn’t take place during the usual in-studio portion of Wheel of Fortune’s episode filming. (I can only imagine if Vanna responded to a contestant’s request to buy an E with “Fuck no, you can’t.”) After the winning contestant walked away from the Bonus Round with a brand new vehicle, Seacrest cued up a pretaped clip from a ski trip to Park City the co-stars took together. Although calling it a “ski trip” implies both successfully traversed a slope or two, and that definitely wasn’t the case.

Seacrest facetiously claimed that White “panicked” after he took a wrong turn, and in the video we see, the radio host’s wrong turn happened almost immediately after he tried to confidently push himself forward. And it’s indeed how White reacts that plays into viewers’ hearing more mature language than what game shows usually offer up. Here’s the exchange:

• RYAN: All right, thanks for watching from this winter wonderland. See you next time on Wheel of Fortune!
• VANNA: Bye! Oooh! [QUESTIONABLE]
• RYAN [now laid out facefirst in the snow]: Too big of a slope for me.
• VANNA: I'm gonna go help Ryan. Bye-bye!

It's a goofy bit, though I genuinely bought into the notion that Vanna White was not comfortable with the idea of zipping around snowy mountains with skis attached. I can also buy into the belief that Vanna would be the most fashionable person standing on any mountain at any given time, but that's beside the point.

Soon after the episode aired, one fan took to Reddit to see if they were alone in assuming that Vanna exclaimed "Fuck!" after seeing Seacrest tumble. As the OP wrote in the comments of the post:

To that Redditor's credit, the audio from the recorded video in the post sounds tinny and sharp enough that it does actually sound like an F-bomb, even if it wasn't muttered under her breath as it probably would have been had she accidentally cursed on TV.

But it almost definitely was not "fuck" that spewed forth from the co-host's mouth. When rewatching the episode with my YouTube TV subscription, I put the closed captions on, and it confirmed my belief that all she said there was "Look!" since the camera goes to Seacrest right after she says it.

And I think we can all agree on how unlikely it is that an episode taped and edited far in advance of airing would have left an F-bomb in there untouched. I can't even imagine a world where a bleeped-out version of that moment would air, and can only assume it would have been re-recorded if Vanna did indeed let one slip.

One can assume that Vanna helped Seacrest up, and without cursing him out, since we already know how kind and giving she’s been to him during his freshman year as Wheel of Fortune host. (And he still chose to amusingly prank her for Christmas.) She also thought it would be a fun idea to ask fans to give him a nickname, though that may have gone slightly more askew than she expected.

That Other Time Ryan Seacrest Fell Down Recently

Snowy weather doesn't need to enter into the picture for Ryan Seacrest to take a random tumble in front of Wheel of Fortune viewers. In the same week that his ski stumble happened, the esteemed host also lost his footing on the set itself thanks to an overly joyous contestant.

After the winner hugged and grabbed onto Seacrest in the midst of leaping up and down, he let go at just the wrong moment, sending the American Idol emcee down for a quick count. Hopefully he'll manage to stay upright for the remainder of episodes airing this week.

Wheel of Fortune is continuing its new era on the 2025 TV schedule, and I think it's safe to say a lot of us are still adjusting to this new normal. After longtime host Pat Sajak officially retired from one of the best game shows in history last year, Ryan Seacrest took over hosting duties starting in September. Sajak, meanwhile, has actually been doing one more season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune before officially stepping away, and now, he’s popping by his old stomping grounds in an unexpected way.

In a new video posted by Wheel of Fortune, Seacrest gave viewers a set tour, introducing the crew behind the scenes who make it all possible. After showing off the production team and art designers, the new host made his way back to set, that's when we saw Sajak chowing down on a sandwich. And it couldn’t have been a better surprise cameo:

Of course, I always hoped to see Sajak back on set, I just never thought it would be so soon and in this silly way.

I always thought if he came back it would be formally and on the actual show. However, this fun cameo was perfect, and it made my day. It just shows that Wheel of Fortune is home, and he still feels as comfortable as ever on set, whether behind the scenes or in front of the camera. Also, his cameo was quite casual, making me wonder just how many times he’s popped by since his final episode.

Coincidentally, the fun cameo comes not long after it was reported that Pat Sajak could be thinking about making a permanent comeback to Wheel of Fortune. A source told Radar Online that Sajak was allegedly thinking about returning as host after hosting Celebrity Wheel of Fortune one last time. Nothing is certain, though, especially since it hasn’t even been a year since his retirement and Seacrest is doing very well in the role now. However, what is clear is the show still means a lot to him, and he means a lot to the show.

Meanwhile, Ryan Seacrest is continuing to host Wheel of Fortune, and even though he’s had a bumpy start between reported troubles behind the scenes and on-air flubs, he seems to be doing swell. It’s not easy taking over for a beloved host, so it’s not surprising that it’s taken some time to get used to. However, he's finding his footing, and it's very fun to see him interact with the contestants, Vanna White and even Pat Sajak in the case of this video.

Considering Wheel of Fortune is celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year, there are likely more surprises to come that include Sajak. Fans will just have to wait and see on that front though. In the meantime, they can always catch Sajak on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and in reruns of Wheel of Fortune while Seacrest continues to host new episodes of the tentpole game show.

The start of the 2025 TV schedule marks the first full year of Ryan Seacrest serving as the host of Wheel of Fortune, following his high-rated first few weeks starting back in September 2024. He seems well past any early-bird worries by this point, with dozens of episodes under his belt, and it sounds like he’s also grown quite comfortable working alongside game show icon Vanna White. It appears she’s quite fond of him as well, as evidenced by her practical gift-giving.

Despite having pulled a musical Christmas prank on White that resulted in her unwittingly listening to her own holiday album during a work meeting — she did eventually catch on, of course — Seacrest shared a sweet story about his co-host’s benevolent nature that also absolutely sounds like something a mom would do. Speaking with People, the American Idol frontman said:

Though it's not exactly the most luxurious present to receive as a Hollywood mainstay, Vanna White’s gift to Ryan Seacrest is both extremely sweet and indicative of how much she cares. While the initial context of Seacrest sharing concern for how coffee affects his teeth is not entirely clear, it’s presumed he didn’t sent out a studio-wide memo begging for help, and that it was more conversational than anything, which makes White seem all the more benevolent for her next-day surprise.

It’s also something of a mom-like offering in the way that presents from parents often go hard on practicality over style or pizzazz. Moms are the ones who usually wrap up socks and underwear for Christmas because they know their kids have holes in everything. It’s a similar mindset that factors into buying someone teeth-whitening strips, since the gift itself points to a perceived problem the recipient has.

Of course, that situation might not have come across in the same way had Vanna White just shown up with whitening strips for Ryan Seacrest’s teeth out of the blue without him ever having said anything about the effect that black coffee has. Still helpful, surely, but perhaps not so inherently nice an implication.

Since his earliest days on the set of Wheel of Fortune, Seacrest has only shared positivity about working with White, whose hands and smiles have been lighting up TVs since the early 1980s. And that was no different in this particular interview, with this statement being a perfect summation:

Fans will soon see Vanna White paired back up with former host Pat Sajak for the fifth season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, which he was already locked in for outside of his retirement news. It's been reported that filming the celebrity-fueled season, which released a holiday episode in early December, sparked Pat Sajak’s intention to return as host in some capacity, but we'll have to wait to learn whether or not there's any value to those rumors.

As we begin to work through the 2025 TV schedule, it’s worth noting that this year will mark the first full calendar year that sees Ryan Seacrest as the host of Wheel of Fortune. Following Pat Sajak’s retirement, the American Idol host took his spot at the wheel to help contestants guess phrases and win money. However, now that fans are getting used to him leading the show, there’s a wild rumor running around that the old host might want the job back.

Apparently, following Sajak’s small stint on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune in the fall (which happened after his retirement from the tentpole show), he’s eager to return to his old gig. Obviously, this is just a rumor and there’s no confirmation that the former host wants to take over the job Ryan Seacrest currently holds. However, according to a source who spoke to Radar Online, he is starting to think about returning to the wheel, as they alleged:

The story went on to allege that the long-time WOF host “never wanted to leave” the show. While Sajak himself told GMA that he was “surprisingly OK” with his retirement and that he would “rather leave a couple years too early than a couple of years too late,” this source claimed that he now wants to return to the game show, saying:

Please note, as far as we know, and according to Sajak himself, he was ready to leave the game show. He also noted in the GMA interview that he had plenty of time to reflect on and process his tenure on the show and get ready for retirement because his departure was announced so far in advance.

However, Radar Online’s report claims that he’s not ready to let go of the wheel yet, and alleges that “he’ll be waiting in the wings to take over,” because he apparently does not think Seacrest will stick around:

The source went on to claim that Seacrest does not like this and thinks Sajak is “being a sore loser.” They continued to claim that the former host does not stand a chance of getting his old job back, explaining that the WOF’s current ratings are “great” (which is true), the new host is being paid well and he gets along with Vanna White.

However, the source also claimed that there are fans who want Sajak to return. They also alleged that the former host is “counting on” that, saying:

Notably, the passing of the torch from Sajak to Seacrest has gone well. The former Live with Kelly and Ryan host has been enthusiastic about the milestones he’ll hit and his future on the program, and he’s been open about the advice Sajak and White have given him.

While fans have had critiques for Seacrest’s hosting, they’ve come to like him and many are now used to him leading the series with White.

So, as far as we know, there are no changes in sight for Wheel of Fortune. Seacrest and White will continue hosting while Sajak enjoys retirement. However, if anything else surrounding this rumor breaks, we’ll be sure to keep you posted.

It’s been a big year for Ryan Seacrest, whose 2024 career highlights have included his 22nd season as the host of American Idol (which will return on the 2025 TV schedule) and taking over for Pat Sajak — one of the best game show hosts of all time — on Wheel of Fortune. The celebrations aren’t over yet, though, and come December 31, he’ll reach one more big milestone — two decades of hosting Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. Seacrest marked the upcoming occasion with a social media montage, and good gravy, has it really been 20 years?

Dick Clark was a huge figure in pop culture as a radio personality, game show host and, of course, American Bandstand. New Year’s Rockin’ Eve is a big part of his legacy, too, allowing people to watch the ball drop in New York City’s Times Square since he first produced the music special in 1972. Everything changed in 2004, when Clark suffered a stroke and was no longer able to host on his own. Ryan Seacrest has been there ever since, as you can see in the Instagram video below:

While it is kind of hard to remember a time when Ryan Seacrest didn’t hold every single hosting job available (that’s only a slight exaggeration), it’s also pretty unbelievable that for two whole decades the American Idol host has been leading us in “Auld Lang Syne.” I’m afraid when I wake up tomorrow, Pat Sajak will have been off of Wheel of Fortune for six years rather than six months.

Speaking of the passage of time not making any sense whatsoever, did someone forget to start the clock on Ryan Seacrest’s aging process? I know Paul Rudd is the quintessential example of never aging, but how many people could you show a montage of like the one above — with a photo from each of the last 20 years — and have them look astoundingly the same? It wouldn’t work for me, that’s for sure. The nerve of this guy to have all these jobs and still find time to drink from the fountain of youth!

I say this all in jest, of course, because you have to respect how much work Ryan Seacrest has put in to get such esteemed positions in the entertainment industry, and it would be hard to deny that he’s one of the best at what he does. That fact has never been more apparent than earlier this year when he was able to win over Wheel of Fortune audiences pretty handily when he started hosting one of America’s favorite game shows.

One thing for viewers to be on the lookout for this year when they gather to watch the end-of-year celebrations is if and how Ryan Seacrest’s mini-New Year's feud with Andy Cohen will continue. This fall, the two hosts agreed to end their rivalry, but you never know when the excitement of the holiday might get the better of them.

If you want to see Ryan Seacrest’s 20th year as the host of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, tune in starting at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, December 31, on ABC.

Wheel of Fortune fans have had to get used to Ryan Seacrest hosting after Pat Sajak retired, but it seems like he's settled into the new gig and thriving. On top of bantering with contestants, his relationship with Vanna White seems to be doing pretty well too, even if initial reports stated that there was trouble on set. Now, the American Idol host is showing off their fun dynamic in a festive way by playing White’s Christmas album during a meeting, and it took her a bit to even notice.

Seacrest shared a video on Instagram of him playing White’s 1996 Christmas album, Santa’s Last Ride “until she notices.” While she obviously knew he was playing Christmas music and was on board with him getting in the spirit, noting it takes her back to her childhood, she was oblivious to what kind of Christmas music he was playing. After Seacrest said it was “nostalgic,” White was able to really take in the tunes as she was sitting on the couch, and that’s when it hit her that she's been pranked, and her reaction is priceless:

White was in complete shock as Seacrest kept saying he listens to the album “every year,” later turning up the volume and taking in every second. Considering it’s been close to 30 years since Santa’s Last Ride was released, it is fun to see the letter-turner react to hearing it. Plus, the fact that it took a little bit for her to even recognize that it was her own music makes it even better. Also, it's fun to see just how well White and Seacrest are getting along.

Santa’s Last Ride is White’s first and only album, with all 14 tracks written by late British composer Leslie Bricusse. Seacrest playing the album is honestly pretty impressive, as it’s only available on physical CD and not digital or streaming. So it’s quite possible he either really has listened to it every year on CD or he managed to find a copy, and either way, the entire situation is gold.

Vanna White’s album is not the only way that Wheel of Fortune has been celebrating the holidays. The long-running game show has been doing Disney Secret Santa Holiday Giveaway from December 9 through December 20, with Mickey, Minnie, and their friends joining in the holiday fun. Unfortunately, it was a cruel, cruel winter for one contestant who missed a big win after coming up with the Bonus Round answer immediately after the buzzer. While she did still take home almost $31,000, she missed out on an additional $40,000, making her Christmas not so merry after all. However, the money she did win plus the experience of interacting with White and Seacrest must have been festive and fun!

Now, as Wheel of Fortune prepares for its new episodes on the 2025 TV schedule, fans can try to hunt down Vanna White's Christmas album, but that might be hard to find. However, simply having fun watching the game show and this silly video of her and Seacrest brings me all the hilarious holiday cheer I need.

Since Ryan Seacrest made his Wheel of Fortune debut on the 2024 TV schedule, there’s been plenty of discussion about how he stands up to his predecessor — one of best game show hosts in history — Pat Sajak. The actual game, however, has stayed the same, and that’s to say it’s remained at times brutal and unfeeling for those trying to win some big bucks. One recent contestant may be having the cruelest winter of all, after she missed the bonus puzzle so narrowly that her plight required at least one rewatch.

On December 10, Brittany made it to the Bonus Round and chose “What Are You Doing?” as her category. After getting a little help from the letters she picked, her 10 seconds started, and then way too quickly ended in heartbreak. Take a look for yourself:

The answer was “Updating My Software,” and Brittany guessed it immediately after the buzzer. If you’re like me (and several others, who we’ll get to in a minute), you likely had to watch that back a couple of times for two reasons.

First, did she get her answer in on time? After working on the first part of the puzzle, she shouts out “Software” simultaneously with the buzzer. Now, if game shows were sports (and some would argue they are), this seems like it would be a “tie goes to the offense” kind of situation. Unless they invoked the infuriating “long pause” rule, I think they would have ruled that she said the final word in time. (You totally just rewatched it again to see how long that pause was, didn’t you?)

However, in Brittany’s case, I think it was the answer to a different question that ultimately doomed her: Did she even guess the correct first word? After running it back again, you can hear the contestant say “Uplifting” before getting the final two words, but she doesn’t put it all together with “Updating” until after the buzzer.

Ryan Seacrest then revealed the $40,000 she lost out on, and while her $30,921 in winnings will likely make for a pretty Merry Christmas, fans agreed it was a heartbreaker nonetheless. Comments on the above video included:

• It was razor-thin, but ultimately not enough to secure a victory. Heartbreaking loss, but $30K is nothing to sneeze at. Plus, she had Donald Duck cheering for her and who doesn't love Donald Duck? ^_^ – Garrison_the_Barbarian
• That hurts. – Mr.Face222
• I hate she was late with it but even after the buzzer, it was a excellent solve. – bigralph1978
• That...hurt. And it was the correct call...Brittany literally said UPLIFTING MY SOFTWARE before the buzzer. This puzzle was tricky indeed. – richardhernandez4490

I agree with the fan who said it was an impressive solve, even if it was a second late. I can’t imagine my brain would do me any favors with just 10 seconds in such a high-pressure situation. If you want to see how other contestants fare with their own races against the clock, check your local listings to see when Wheel of Fortune airs where you live.

Even though it's still hard to get used to seeing Wheel of Fortune on the 2024 TV schedule each day without Pat Sajak, Ryan Seacrest seems to be fitting in just fine with the contestants. While the new host has made some mistakes, he has had some fun banter with contestants, including when it came to an impressively bad guess. That only continued for Disney Secret Santa Holiday Giveaway when he had a funny exchange with a contestant after dropping a dating bombshell.

On the December 9 episode, Seacrest was getting to know contestant Sunita Baru, who had actually auditioned and “manifested” being on Disney Week. The married mother of two revealed that her game show interview was handled via Zoom at Disneyland, right in front of It’s A Small World, and she was grateful it was getting refurbished.

After saying that she’s celebrated big milestones in her relationship at Disney, such as her honeymoon and anniversaries, and will with her upcoming 20^th, Seacrest wondered if it was the key to a successful marriage, and Baru said, “I think so.”

When Seacrest said he’d “make a note if it ever happens,” contestant Ken couldn’t help but chuckle. The American Idol host, as well as probably everyone else, heard him and told him he “laughed too hard at that, actually.” Ken defended himself by saying that he’s been engaged for five years, meaning that he, too, is hoping that 20 years will happen eventually.

It was certainly a funny exchange since the laugh was definitely not expected and Seacrest probably thought that laugh was towards him and his unsuccessful dating life. Luckily, Ken was not laughing at the host himself, and more so just laughing at the fact that his long-term engagement continues to be long term. At the very least, Seacrest didn’t seem to upset over the idea of Ken laughing at him, and was just joking around.

Check out Sujita's bonus round to see whether or not she manifested big prizes.

Meanwhile, even despite Ryan Seacrest doing an okay job at hosting and bantering with contestants, some people are still on the fence. Fans gave their thoughts about one way Seacrest is hosting the game when it comes to revealing the Bonus Round prize and being too performative. To be fair, though, it might just be something else that he will have to get used to as well as the fans or perhaps work on since he’s still new to the game.

As Seacrest continues to host Wheel of Fortune, fans will be able to look forward to many more fun exchanges. He may not be Pat Sajak, but Seacrest seems to be settling in just fine. As long as no one makes an actual joke about his dating life, it’s not too bad. Disney Secret Santa Holiday Giveaway continues all week on Wheel of Fortune.

Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune are two of the best game shows ever, so it stands to reason that the decades-old series would have a loyal contingent of outspoken fans. Viewers are definitely not shy about speaking out when they think Jeopardy! got a clue wrong or Wheel of Fortune needs a rule change. This week on the 2024 TV schedule has come with new gripes, but strangely enough Ryan Seacrest and Jeopardy’s producers are being called out for occurrences that were the complete opposite of each other.

Ryan Seacrest Called Out For Not Helping Wheel Of Fortune Contestant

On Tuesday, November 26, Wheel of Fortune contestant Oleh Voloshyn solved the Final Spin puzzle on his turn without guessing a letter first, only to ultimately come in second place, missing a trip to the Bonus Round by just $176. He clearly knew the answer, so literally all he had to do was guess one letter to earn an extra $6,000 before he solved the puzzle, and he would have won the game.

Many fans on Reddit thought Ryan Seacrest had a responsibility to remind the contestant of this, as Pat Sajak apparently did many times. Comments included:

• Pat would have reminded him to guess a letter before solving. – andylayindustries
• If I'm Oleh, I'm upset at myself for not realizing the situation... I'm also angry at Ryan for not doing something that Pat always made a point to do in this exact situation. It's not the host's job to point those types of things out but Pat always tried so now we expect it. – JerseyJoeEdits
• People do this all the time, or at least try to. Pat was great at always reminding them to call another letter first though. – ExecutiveTurkey

However, I’m of the opinion that Ryan Seacrest was right to stay quiet, because if he had helped one contestant, it would have been at the detriment of another. A host should move the game along but never influence its outcome, in my opinion, regardless of if Pat Sajak did do that. Either way, I can’t help but be amused that Wheel Watchers are upset about the host not giving enough help to a contestant, when Jeopardy! was having the opposite problem.

Jeopardy! Called Out For Helping Out Its Contestants Too Much

A day before the possible Seacrest snafu, on November 25, Jeopardy! featured a visual clue in the category of “Time For A Cocktail?” A black-and-white photo of Helen Gurley Brown standing in front of several images came on the screen as Ken Jennings read, “Helen Gurley Brown became this publication’s first female editor in the 1960s.” Adam Hersh correctly responded with “What is Cosmopolitan?” but even if he hadn’t known the answer, it was right there for him on the screen.

Just to the right of Helen Gurley Brown’s right arm, above the item she’s holding, you can see “Cosmopolitan” is, in fact, written in white. One Jeopardy! fans was quick to call that out on the episode’s Reddit, writing:

The viewer is definitely not wrong, and I doubt the producers intentionally left that in there under the assumption that the contestants wouldn’t be able to see it. However, I — like several other Redditors — didn’t notice the word when I watched the episode, and even going back to look, I had to zoom in to see it. I don’t think there’s any way the players could have seen it from so far away and within the time limitations they’re under. Still, at least one person noticed it, so who knows?

Whether helping too much or too little, fans have lots of opinions about how Ryan Seacrest and Ken Jennings are filling the large shoes of their predecessors — two of the greatest game show hosts in history, Pat Sajak and Alex Trebek. Tune in to see how you think they’re doing by checking your local listings to see when Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! air in your area.

After taking over Wheel of Fortune hosting duties in September following Pat Sajak's retirement, Ryan Seacrest has mostly been coasting on a wave of positive vibes and reactions. (This season's new set design took a bigger hit than he did.) Of course, not all that glitters is forever gold, and some fans have pinpointed a specific nitpick about Seacrest's approach that I agree should be curbed.

When it comes to fan criticisms, Seacrest has been dinged for making a mistake or two, and his timing is a tad delayed when it comes to responding to contestants' letter guesses. But what's now confusing certain viewers is the way the American Idol host reveals the $40,000 Bonus Round prize inside the envelope. As one fan put it on Reddit:

For those unaware, Ryan Seacrest is the kind of host who tends to portray everything in as positive a light as can be. And so it's somewhat understandable that part of his schtick is playing up the hype surrounding the Bonus Round envelope and the alluring prizes that could be inside. And by all means, $40,000 is an excitingly large payday for a puzzle-solver.

But as it's pointed out in comments there and among the game show's YouTube comments, the $40,000 prize is actually the least lucrative prize on the mini-wheel. As such, Seacrest has been called out for being too performative when building anticipation before flipping the envelope around to show the amount.

Check out the latest example of the $40,000 shuffle, as I'll call it for the moment, which is the episode that sparked the comment above.

Since Seacrest has been fairly polite about constestants' awful guesses during his time on the show so far, I won't spend too much time on this here, but it's a little weird, right? It's akin to a parent trying to convince a skeptical child that the snack they've been given instead of ice cream is just as good.

The Reddit comments tackle the key elements that make Seacrest's delivery so odd in those moments, from the lead-up implying a far bigger prize to the fact that he doesn't seem to ever reveal the $40k total himself.

• Agreed... The Mrs. and I commented on that last night. He presents it like it's something more than the minimum prize amount! One of these days, the contestant is going to react disappointedly. - @intheslipstream1
• He also contorts his body awkwardly and bounces aroind to just flip the card open. Then says 'it was this much' as if he can't say the amount. Kind of weird. - @jrclarke413
• I don't get the "It was this much." There has to be a reason that the producers don't want him to say it, but I can't imagine why (except a nefarious and illegal editing of what the amount was, which makes no sense). - @texan-yankee

I think that's also the part that baffles me the most. "It was this much" makes it sound like there's nothing printed on the envelope card, and the prize total was added in post-production. "This is what you won, the amount of money you see before you, and that which I hold in my hand."

It stands to reason that Ryan Seacrest will completely lose his shit if he ever gets to give away $1 million on Wheel, which hasn't happened in a non-Celebrity WoF game since 2014. But it's still early in his run yet.