delighted fans and famous contestants alike when he returned to his hosting duties for a special episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune on Monday night.
Pat Sajak
The Emmy winner, 78, who retired in June after 41 years on the popular game show, clued fans into his appearance on X, writing, ‘Apparently I’m back on TV tonight. I guess I’d better shave and shower.’
As they always have, Sajak and co-host Vanna White, 67, walked on to the set together.
The letter-turning veteran and Wheel correspondent Maggie Sajak shared a behind-the-scenes video of the pair as they prepared to take the stage together for the first time in months.
‘It’s showtime!!!✨’ they wrote to describe the clip.
Pat Sajak delighted fans and famous contestants alike when he returned to his hosting duties with Vanna White for a special episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune on Monday night
Dionne Warwick, 83, Chance the Rapper, 31, and Lil Jon, 53 all took a turn at guessing clues in an effort to win thousands of dollars for charity. Chance emerged the champ winning $63,800 for SocialWorks. Warwick and Lil Jon each received $30,000 for their charities of choice
The celebrity contestants for the episode were Dionne Warwick, 83, Chance the Rapper, 31, and Lil Jon, 53.
All three were playing for charity and Chance was the overall champ, winning $63,800 for SocialWorks a group that empowers youth through the arts, education and civic engagement in Chicago.
Warwick and Lil Jon each walked away with $30,000 for their respective charities; North Jersey Community Research Initiative and Open Paths Counseling Center.
‘This was so much fun tonight. I like Ryan but thrilled to see Pat back & great guests. Lil John was very fun & Dionne is a legend & Chance was an absolute delight,’ wrote one fan after seeing the episode.
‘I’m not crying. You’re crying,’ commented another.
‘AAAAAH!!! WHO ELSE HAS GOOSEBUMPS???’ exclaimed a fan.
The holiday themed Celebrity Wheel of Fortune episode on Monday was the only special appearance for Sajak in 2024.
The episode was pre-recorded along with several others to be aired in 2025, but the Christmas theme would have seemed out of place.
As they always have, Sajak, 78, and co-host Vanna White, 67, walked on to the set together. The letter-turning veteran and Wheel correspondent Maggie Sajak shared a behind-the-scenes video of the pair as they prepared to take the stage together for the first time in months
The veteran host retired in June after 41 years on the show. Several other pre-recorded Celebrity episodes are set to be released sometime in 2025
The release date for the remaining Celebrity episodes has not been announced.
Those are set to be the veteran host’s last on the show.
While some diehard fans have been slow to warm to new host Ryan Seacrest, 49, adding him to the game show has been good for ratings.
Wheel of Fortune averaged 7.99 million viewers during Seacrest’s first month, and during that time, the show was ‘the most-watched entertainment series across broadcast, cable, and syndication,’ according to Nielsen data per Newsweek.
Seacrest and White were scheduled to be back in front of the cameras on Tuesday as they celebrate Fabulous Food Week.
