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Ryan Seacrest was “scared to death” to take over Wheel of Fortune after Pat Sajak’s retirement.
The TV personality, 49, shared as much while speaking at the Wheel of Fortune staff and crew holiday lunch. Seacrest posted a series of photos and videos from the special annual celebration to his Instagram account on Friday, December 20.
In one video, Seacrest looks at home, playfully teasing Vanna White by claiming she wanted to perform a Christmas song for everyone at the luncheon. Then he began, “I just wanted to say thank you for welcoming me into this family. To follow in the footsteps of her [Maggie Sajak’s] father, who is a legend, who is incredible at what he does, and what he and Vanna built over the years… I was scared to death.”
“I was nervous about how this would go, nervous about walking into something that’s just so successful,” Seacrest continued. “And it’s the most exciting time I’ve ever had at work doing a job. I hope it shows. But I’m so grateful for the army that puts this show, the number one show on television, on the air…”
In addition to the sweet video, the American Idol host shared a picture posing alongside White, who sported a glittery black sweatshirt that read, “Very Merry.” The two poked fun at each other in another video, as they perused the buffet options at lunch.
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“Two of my favorite words: ‘holiday’ + ‘lunch,'” Seacrest gushed in the Instagram caption. “It’s the most wonderful time of the year with the most wonderful staff & crew @wheeloffortune.” It was likely Seacrest’s first time experiencing the show’s holiday tradition, as he joined the cast in September for Wheel of Fortune‘s 42nd season.
Seacrest took over for Pat after he retired in June after 41 seasons of hosting the show. Pat’s daughter Maggie (who was also at the luncheon) still works with the game show as the social correspondent.
The holiday get together comes after Wheel of Fortune fans threw Seacrest a bit of shade online, blaming him when contestant Phil McManus seemingly forgot that he could buy a vowel. Fans thought Seacrest should have reminded him, but instead, McManus incorrectly guessed a “W,” losing the $13K he had accrued thanks to his Wild Card wedge.
Some fan criticism aside, Seacrest has been well-received in the ratings. In his first month as host, Wheel of Fortune brought in 7.99 million viewers, making it “the most-watched entertainment series across broadcast, cable, and syndication” during that time period.
