John Rich Hits Out at ‘Wheel of Fortune’ After Pat Sajak Return
John Rich has hit out after Pat Sajak returned for a Wheel Of Fortune holiday special, saying the show “sucks” without him.
TV star Sajak, 78, retired as host of the show this summer after 41 seasons and Ryan Seacrest has taken over the wheel. However, Sajak was back this week as he hosted an episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune on December 2.
His comeback had many Wheel Of Fortune fans feeling nostalgic for the years he fronted the game show, and singer-songwriter Rich was among them as he took to X – formerly Twitter – to share how much he preferred it with Sajak at the helm.
“Wheel Of Fortune sucks without @patsajak,” he posted. Adding an easy to decipher puzzle, he wrote “Solve the puzzle: BR__ __ G B__CK P__T S__J__K”, which with the letters filled in read “Bring back Pat Sajak.”
“So good seeing you! You are missed everyday!” said another person on X.
As Sajak’s return was teased with a post on Instagram showing him slipping on his suit and tie ahead of the episode, one fan wrote: “Nothing against Ryan but haven’t watched the show since Pat left except for the first episode … not the same without Pat.”
“PAT! So happy to see you on tonight!” exclaimed one happy fan, as another said he was “the best of the best.”
“Omg I cannot tell you how excited I am to see Pat back!” said another person on the platform. “I gave it one week with Ryan and haven’t watched since. I have sure missed my nights with Pat!”
“I love Ryan but we all miss you Pat,” remarked someone else. “Hope you’re enjoying retirement.”
Sajak joined the game show in 1981, but in 2023 it was confirmed that he was stepping down. Soon afterward it was announced that Seacrest would be taking over, with the American Idol presenter saying that it was “a dream job” for him and that he knew he had “some very big shoes to fill.”
Newsweek has contacted representatives for Sajak for comment.
