Photo:Cindy Ord/NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty, Stewart Cook/ABC via Getty
Cindy Ord/NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty, Stewart Cook/ABC via Getty
Carson Dalyis thrilledRyan Seacrestwill take his hosting skills for a spin onWheel of Fortune.
The Voicehost tells PEOPLE this week’s announcement that Seacrest, 48, willtake the reinsfromPat Sajak, 76, “certainly doesn’t surprise me. I mean, it seems like an obvious choice.”
Daly, 50, recalls: “I was watching … oldWheel of Fortuneswith Mr. Sajak andVanna Whitegoing back. He looked like a young Seacrest. So I guess it definitely makes sense.”
Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty
Daly — who jokes to PEOPLE that he is personally “trying so hard to stop working” so he can spend more time withhis family— has nothing but the highest praise for Seacrest’s work ethic.
“I love Ryan," he says. “We’ve been friends forever. It’s amazing to me his desire to continue to work at such a high level. He’ll be great at it and good luck to him.”
It was announced on Tuesday that the formerLive with Kelly and Ryanco-host signed a multi-year deal to host the long-running show (and also serve as a consulting producer) after Sajak announced earlier this month that he wouldretireafter the show’s upcoming 41st season.
“I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak. I can say, along with the rest of America, that it’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them,” Seacrest said in a statement.
He also discussed having a “full-circle moment” having previously hosted a game show calledClick25 years ago and said he was “grateful” to Sony for the opportunity.
He added, “Pat, I love the way you’ve always celebrated the contestants and made viewers at home feel at ease. I look forward to learning everything I can from you during this transition… I can’t wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White.”
Pat Sajak with contestant Barry Williams.Courtesy Sony Pictures Entertainment
In response, Sajak shared a supportive message onTwitterfor theAmerican Idolhost.
The new host announcement came as even more of a twist of fate when it was revealed that Sajak had sort of predicted his own successor with a joke more than a decade before his retirement news, having once joked on his show after making several errors that production had“Seacrest on speed dial.”
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Wheel of Fortuneairs weeknights on ABC (check local listings).
source: people.com
