Pat Sajak’s Daughter Maggie Shares Unfiltered Opinion of Ryan Seacrest Hosting ‘Wheel of Fortune’

Now that Ryan Seacrest has officially taken the reins, beloved former Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak’s daughter Maggie is dishing out her unfiltered opinion of how the American Idol host is filling out her father’s shoes.

Having grown up on the game show, and now working as a WoF social media correspondent, Maggie and the rest of her family felt protective over the series when Pat decided it was time to retire. However, as she recently told Us Weekly, Seacrest is proving “so professional” in his new role, leaving the Sajaks certain “it is in great hands.”

“I’m sure you would assume,” she admitted while speaking with the publication at the iHeartRadio Music Festival over the weekend, “but he really appreciates the show and knows how important it is.”

She added, “You can really tell by how prepared he is and how he treats the contestants and how he treats the whole experience.”

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The 29-year-old has worked on the series for a few years now, which she said is “really meaningful” after growing up hearing “people…come up to my dad or [tell] me how special the show is to them.”

“It’s more than just a show,” she said, “which sounds maybe kinda cheesy, but it really is. “I mean, this is bonding among generations. This is the time that families eat dinner together. I mean, it’s really special.”

Although Maggie feels Seacrest is well-equipped for the position, fans were divided after he debuted as the new host.

Some felt he “did a fabulous job” and were “excited for this new era,” and others thought that between the set updates and Seacrest seemingly memorizing his lines, rather than holding note cards like Pat used to, the new season felt a little “awkward.”