If Ryan Seacrest can’t lock down a long-term contract, Pat Sajak’s daughter may take over his hosting position.
As Monsters and Critics reported, Ryan is reportedly dragging out a contract negotiation with Wheel of Fortune executives.
Ryan is “driving his bosses crazy” as they’ve been trying to “nail him down” with a contract extension.
While Ryan’s future on Wheel of Fortune hangs in the balance, higher-ups purportedly have a backup plan.
An insider recently spoke with The U.S. Sun and told the outlet that Pat Sajak’s daughter, Maggie Sajak, is ready to fill in for Ryan, should it come to that.
“Maggie has positioned herself to help out if there’s a hosting vacancy,” the source revealed.
Maggie would help keep younger viewers tuning in to Wheel of Fortune
They continued, “And the franchise is in her blood, and her appreciation for the world of Wheel of Fortune is genuine.”
Apparently, hiring Ryan to replace Pat Sajak aimed to bring in younger viewers. Therefore, 29-year-old Maggie would make the ideal replacement for 49-year-old Ryan.
The insider also told The Sun, “It’s important to allow Maggie to develop her own voice when it comes to the Wheel fan base.”
“And that makes her incredibly valuable to Sony TV,” they continued, “because the whole point of bringing in Ryan Seacrest was to reach more young people.”
According to the Wheel of Fortune informant, Maggie has already proven herself to be a “super-valuable member” on set—especially while Ryan figures out whether he wants to negotiate a more long-term contract or not.
Maggie has been part of the Wheel of Fortune franchise for three years
Maggie currently serves as the Wheel of Fortune social correspondent.
Since 2021, Maggie has entertained Wheel watchers with exclusive digital content, behind-the-scenes secrets, sneak peeks of upcoming events, and conducts interviews with contestants.
With her experience at Sony Pictures Studios and seeing how Wheel watchers have taken to Maggie, it’s also been rumored that she could take over Vanna White’s position as well.
Maggie has practically grown up on the Wheel of Fortune set, visiting her father when she was just a toddler.
The future of Maggie’s career is uncertain at the moment, but she always has a backup plan if things don’t pan out at Wheel of Fortune.
As Monsters and Critics also reported, Maggie recently took an official oath and became a licensed attorney in the state of California.