“Legendary ‘Wheel of Fortune’ host Pat Sajak is recovering from emergency surgery,” reports USA Today.
The story says that the official twitter account for the show sent out this tweet on Friday afternoon:
Our taping on Thursday was canceled because host Pat Sajak underwent successful emergency surgery to correct a blocked intestine. He is resting comfortably and looking forward to getting back to work. Taping resumed today as scheduled and Vanna White has stepped in as host. pic.twitter.com/09zYOCE4hL
— Wheel of Fortune (@WheelofFortune) November 8, 2019
The USA Today story adds, “White filled in once before for one segment of the show, when Sajak had laryngitis in 1996.”
It is not known when Sajak, 73, will return to the show. White will continue to host the program in his absence, notes People magazine, which adds, “Pat Sajak has been hosting ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ which is the longest-running syndicated game show in the U.S., since 1982. The show taped its 7,000th episode in May of last year.”
People also says that White has said, “that she and Sajak have never had a fight after nearly four decades of working together. ‘Well, once,’ she said, referring to an argument over whether one should put ketchup on a hot dog. Sajak, who is originally from Chicago, is against the practice.”
“Wheel of Fortune” began in 1975 on NBC’s daytime schedule, as a shopping show. The puzzles weren’t the main focus of the show; the shopping with the prize money from the puzzles was the focus of the show. The show ran for seven years on NBC, with host Chuck Woolery — and Susan Stafford as the letter turner, before the current syndicated version began in 1982.
Get Well Soon Pat! Miss you on Wheel of Fortune!