Pat Sajak is leaving 'Wheel of Fortune.' Who will take over?

“Wheel of Fortune” has a tough puzzle to solve.

Pat Sajak announced June 12 on Twitter that he will leave the iconic game show after the upcoming season, which premieres in September.

That leaves a void in the show equivalent to a puzzle without an R, S, T, L, N and E.

“Jeopardy!” endured a similar predicament following the death of longtime host Alex Trebek, but that show had popular contestant Ken Jennings in the offing and used a rotation of guest hosts before settling on Jennings and Mayim Bialik (after original choice Mike Richards lost the job).

Unlike “Jeopardy!” though, “Wheel of Fortune” does not necessarily have contestants familiar to viewers who have become household names, making the task of figuring out who will step in for Sajak harder than solving a puzzle with a J in it.

Sajak, 76, joined “Wheel of Fortune” after original host Chuck Woolery left in December 1981. Sajak hosted the daytime version until 1989 and has been hosting the evening version since it debuted in 1983.

So, who will replace him? Here’s an early look at some potential candidates.

Vanna White

Perhaps the most obvious choice, White, 66, is as much a part of the fabric of “Wheel of Fortune” as the bonus round. She also filled in for Sajak when he underwent emergency surgery in 2019 for a blocked intestine.

White, though, has been on the show for 40 years herself, so how much longer will she remain there and is she eager to start fresh with a new partner? She’s not exactly ready to imagine a show without Sajak.

“I don’t even want to think about that. I mean, we’re a team,” she told People last December. “That’s depressing. I don’t even want to think about it.”

“I just visualize us just being there. I can’t think beyond that,” she added.

The chemistry between White and Sajak is on point and potentially hard to replicate with someone else.

“I think when Merv Griffin chose both of us, 40 and 41 years ago, he saw something between us — a brother-sister type relationship,” she told People. “And I think that is kind of what it is. He saw that we would be able to get along, and we do. We are like a brother and sister team.”

Still, she has her supporters.

"VANNA WHITE FOR WHEEL OF FORTUNE HOST 2024," someone tweeted after Sajak revealed his plans to leave the show.

"With Pat Sajak retiring, the ONLY smart thing is to make VANNA WHITE the new host of WHEEL OF FORTUNE!" another person tweeted. "She’s already proven herself as a substitute host, everybody loves her and she can provide smooth, unbroken continuity."

Maggie Sajak

Nepo baby? Hmm, maybe, but Pat Sajak’s daughter is part of the “Wheel of Fortune” family. When White replaced her dad in 2019, Maggie Sajak stepped in for White turning letters, a role she also took up in May of this year on "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune."

“I have some iconic high heels to fill,” Maggie Sajak said on the show, according to USA Today. “I hope to make Vanna proud.”

Maggie Sajak literally grew up on the game show, too, spending time on the set since she was a 1-year-old, according to the “Wheel of Fortune” website.

She has also worked as the show’s social correspondent since 2021, producing behind-the-scenes moments and interviews with players and celebrities. She’s certainly familiar with the ins and outs of the show.

And while some people like the idea of White replacing Pat Sajak and Maggie Sajak taking over for White, the younger Sajak has a legion of people who want her to replace her father.

"There’s only one person I want as the new host of Wheel of Fortune, and that is MAGGIE SAJAK," one fan tweeted.

"@MaggieSajak, you have my vote to replace your dad on Wheel of Fortune!" another person tweeted.

The field

The list of other possible hosts runs deep. Ryan Seacrest, Wayne Brady and Steve Harvey are just some of the other names being bandied about on Twitter.

Whoever lands the plum job will not be the first to take over a high-profile game show hosting gig. Long before Jennings and Bialik took over for Trebek on “Jeopardy!,” Drew Carey took the reins from Bob Barker on “The Price is Right” in 2007 following Barker's long run on the beloved show, with Barker sharing some simple wisdom about how to do the job.

“He said, ‘Make the show your own. Don’t try to copy me,’” Carey told Larry King about the advice Barker gave him.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com