Ryan Seacrest shares his 'Wheel of Fortune' plans after Pat Sajak's departure

In the fall of 2024, Ryan Seacrest will take his place as the new host of "Wheel of Fortune."

While speaking with Willie Geist on the Sept. 24 episode of "Sunday Sitdown," Seacrest talked about his plans and vision for the popular game show hosted by Pat Sajak.

“My version will be the version that is,” Seacrest said with a laugh. “The game works. All you want to do is walk in and say, 'Good evening,' grab your devices and 'Here’s the first puzzle.'”

In June, Sajak announced he was retiring from the long-running game show after becoming host of the evening version of the program in 1983, alongside Vanna White.

Seacrest acknowledged that his departure truly marked the end of an era.

"Pat Sajak is an icon in this business, and he’s made (Wheel of Fortune) so comfortable for everybody to watch," Seacrest said. "I’m like a kid so excited about just seeing the set, you know, to walk out on that set."

During the interview, Seacrest admitted that he didn't know if White would be returning. Her future at "Wheel of Fortune" was up in the air when fans realized her contract was expiring at the end of the current 41st season, which Sajak said would be his last.

However, it wasn't until Seacrest spoke with Geist that he learned White had recently extended her contract on the series.

"This is such great news," he said. "I’ve been very excited to work with her but now that it’s official I can say, congratulations Vanna I can’t wait."

"I am a huge Vanna White fan," the TV personality added. "We’ve known each other for a very long time."

Seacrest has come a long way in his career since realizing at a young age that he wanted to become a host. At 10 years old, Seacrest said he would pretend to be popular DJ and actor Casey Kasem, who lit up the airwaves in the '70s and '80s with his cool guy persona.

"In Atlanta where I grew up, the biggest stars were the DJs and so I was just fascinated by that world," Seacrest said.

At 19, the former "LIVE with Kelly and Ryan" host moved to LA to begin his career as a presenter. It wasn't until the first season of "American Idol" aired in 2002 that he got his big start in Hollywood.

Hosting the amateur singing competition series helped Seacrest get other interesting gigs like tackling red carpets, morning TV and even being an executive producer on "The Kardashians" reality TV show franchise.

While reflecting on how far he's come in his career, Seacrest said it's been like a dream come true and he has no plans of slowing down.

"It’s everything I always wanted," he said. "The pace actually fuels my energy. If I were to do one thing once a week, I’d be terrible."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com