Wheel of Fortune fans spot ‘real reason’ Maggie Sajak was snubbed from host role after dad’s retirement
The discussion comes as the new season premieres on September 9
WHEEL of Fortune fans have spun out a convincing theory for why Maggie Sajak was passed over for any new role.
When Pat Sajak announced his retirement, many fans were convinced his daughter, 29, would be named host or share top billing with Vanna White.
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Wheel of Fortune fans discussed why Maggie Sajak was snubbed of a host role under her newest videoCredit: Instagram/maggiesajak
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When Ryan Seacrest took over as host alongside Vanna, Maggie stayed in the same roleCredit: Wheel of Fortune
Many fans thought that Maggie would become the host or Vanna would host, and Maggie would become the letter-turner.
However, the game show quickly secured Ryan Seacrest, 49, as the new host instead.
Vanna will remain the puzzle presenter for at least two more years.
Ryan and Vanna, 67, will be the Wheel of Fortune’s new puzzle-presenting pair starting this fall for Season 42.
The announcement has disappointed some fans ever since and put Maggie’s future with the show at a standstill.
Fans took to Instagram this week to discuss why Maggie was snubbed under one of her posts.
Maggie, currently WoF’s social media correspondent, was seen unboxing a new RLSTNE promo box in the clip.
In the comments, fans realized an under-discussed part of her life.
While Maggie has flourished in her social media-savvy show role, she’s also quietly been toiling away at law school.
‘BUSY STUDYING’
“So, why not make Vanna White host and Maggie the new cohost? I’m not even in television and I know that’s a damn slam dunk,” one comment read.
“Maggie’s coming eventually,” replied another. “I’d give Vanna like 5ish more years.”
Other fans theorized that her lawyer ambitions may have contributed to her not being chosen for anything in the new WoF era and made her too busy.
“A debatable hosting performance of Vanna’s when filling in for Pat, back in December 2019, and having said in an interview that she refuses to give it another go, another problem with Maggie is she’s busy studying to become a lawyer,” wrote a third.
“I thought it was going to Maggie!? Why Ryan?” a fourth exclaimed. “Disappointing.”
“She just graduated from law school, lol,” replied one more, thinking this was also the reasoning.
LAW_ER MAGGIE!
Maggie’s fan-favorite Instagram account is almost entirely devoted to Wheel content, making it a lesser-known fact she’s pursuing law.
In 2013, Maggie began her freshman year at Princeton University, and was featured in a fashion shoot for Teen Vogue.
She graduated from Princeton and did an additional postgraduate program at Columbia University.
In May 2023, she graduated from Georgetown University Law School – all while handling WoF’s social media content, no less.
Pat announced his retirement in June 2023, a month after Maggie graduated from law school.
The rising star has not shared any further career plans pertaining to law at this time.
‘DON’T MISS THE PREMIERE!’
Meanwhile, even though Maggie will stay in her current social media role, she seems to be loving every minute of it.
In anticipation of Ryan’s host takeover, the game show rolled out a fun RSTLNE promo campaign.
Fans are all too familiar with “RSTLNE” as the group of letters given to contestants who make it to the bonus round.
In a winning coincidence, the first two letters of the grouping match up with Seacrest’s initials.
With that in mind, the show has created a new meaning for “RSTLNE,” announcing that it now stands for “Ryan Seacrest To Launch New Era.”
This week, the cute wordplay was used for a Wheel of Fortune gift box, which was presented to Ryan and Vanna and included a bunch of merchandise.
“We’re so excited for this “New Era of Wheel,” Seacrest captioned a series of the pair sitting side-by-side on a couch in a green room.
Maggie also got an RSTLNE box and did an unboxing, which could not have been sweeter, and was the post where fans discussed her snub.
Donning a gorgeous periwinkle blue dress with her hair in a bun, Maggie showed off the promo item.
“This is so cute!” she gushed. “Don’t miss the Season 42 premiere, Monday, September 9!”
Fans have grown to love Maggie since she’s been a social correspondent since 2021.
But her devotion to the show, which she had a leg up in being a part of, goes much deeper than that.
She appeared as a “special letter toucher” (aka Vanna’s role) in 2020 while her dad Pat, 76, was dealing with a health issue off-screen.
Maggie has also been on the WoF set since childhood, making her debut in 1996.
Either way, Maggie seems excited for Season 42 of Wheel of Fortune, which is rumored to feature an all-new set.
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Maggie Sajak quietly graduated from Georgetown Law School in 2023 – which some fans think may have cost her a hosting roleCredit: Instagram/maggiesajak
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Ryan Seacrest begins hosting with Vanna White on September 9
