Ryan Seacrest has officially taken on the role of host Wheel of FortuneLast night, Seacrest made her debut as a host alongside Vanna White, after the former co-host of Live! with Kelly and Ryan took over from Pat Sajak after 41 seasons.

The episode began with the announcer intoning, “And now, together for the first time, here are the stars of our show, Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White!” Seacrest stood arm in arm with White as she welcomed him to the show. He told her, “So happy to be here with you,” and added, “Let’s have some fun!”

After taking his place on the set, which has been revamped for the new season, Seacrest addressed the audience, saying, “Thank you for the very warm welcome. Hosting Wheel of Fortune is a dream job. I’ve been a fan of this show since I was a kid, I used to watch it in Atlanta with my family, and I know how special it is that Wheel has been in your living rooms for the past 40 years. I am just so grateful to have been invited. I also know that I have some very big shoes to fill.”

Sajak said goodbye to Wheel of Fortune in June during his final episode of the show. “Well, it’s time to say goodbye,” Sajak told the audience. “I have a few thank yous and acknowledgements before I go. And I want to start with all of you who are watching out there. It’s been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes, night after night, year after year, decade after decade. And I’ve always felt that with the privilege came the responsibility to make this daily half-hour a safe space for family fun. No social issues. No politics. Nothing embarrassing, I hope. Just a game. But over time, it became more than that.”

The 77-year-old Sajak started hosting Wheel of Fortune back in 1981. In June 2023, he revealed on social media that the then-upcoming 41st season of the game show would be his last. “It’s been an amazing ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Thank you all so much,” he said at the time.