Maggie Sajak channels her inner dad
Maggie Sajak has been a familiar face on Wheel of Fortune since she was just a year old in ‘96. Now actively working for the game show, Sajak is an even more frequent presence, and even though former host Pat Sajak is no longer running the show, Maggie is channeling his energy, armed with a delightfully awful dad joke.
77-year-old Sajak formally retired from hosting Wheel of Fortune this summer, meaning next season will see his replacement, Ryan Seacrest, officially take over. Vanna White is staying on as letter turner and co-host. Maggie works on the show’s social media presence, and while the program is on break, she’s keeping fans excited—and cringing just a bit with some wonderfully horrible puns.
Season 42 of Wheel of Fortune is expected to get those gears spinning in September 2024, according to TV Insider. During the break, Maggie has given fans plenty of social media content to keep the excitement going.
On Sunday, 29-year-old Maggie shared a post to her own Instagram account. The accompanying photo features Maggie looking bright and summery in a white dress bedecked with a pale floral pattern. Her golden hair is worn loose behind her back and over one shoulder. She sits amidst dappled sunlight, one arm stretched up the rope of the swing she’s perched upon.
It’s a cheery, relaxing scene that’s in sharp contrast to the post’s text. “My opinion on swings?/” she captioned the post. “Honestly, I go back and forth.”
Many of her over 162k Instagram followers were all too eager to voice their amusement on the flowery, funny post. “I love dad jokes when they come from everyone, but our dad’s,” praised one Instagram user. “Ha! I see what you did there!” another commented with mirth. Another excitedly pointed out, “You inherited that humor from your Dad!” In a similar vein, another comment reads, “Thank you Pat Jr! Perfect and so pretty!!”
Pat Sajak may have hosted Wheel of Fortune for over 40 years, but he’s the first to say that the real stars of the show are the titular wheel itself and, most especially the audience members. Maggie has been diligently at work keeping fans connected to the extended family that the Wheel of Fortune community has built.
Maggie started working on the show during the 2021-2022 season, serving as a social media correspondent. Her involvement continued when, in 2023, she filled in for White as a letter-turner while White herself was a contestant. Maggie’s involvement in the show has drawn divided reactions from viewers, with some criticizing it as an example of nepotism, while others had high hopes Maggie would reprise one of her on-screen roles after Sajak left, putting her again alongside White. What do you think the future holds for Maggie Sajak, besides enough silly dad puns to make it feel like Sajak never left?
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