Famous Families
Pat Sajak’s Daughter Maggie, 25, Joins Vanna White to Fill in for Her Dad on ‘Wheel of Fortune’
Like father, like daughter! Pat Sajak proved his TV-hosting talent runs in his family as his daughter, Maggie Sajak, filled in for her dad on Wheel of Fortune. The 25-year-old joined Vanna White — who is currently filling in as host while Pat recovers from a November 2019 surgery — to test out her chops as the guest letter-turning model.
The exciting news was first revealed in a video shared to Wheel of Fortune‘s YouTube channel on Monday, January 6. Although we briefly saw Pat return, he explained this absence is due to “the technicalities of the show” and how it’s filmed, “not because of a relapse.”
The video of the proud dad — who shares Maggie, as well as son Patrick Sajak, 29, with his longtime wife, Lesly Brown — then cut to the Vanna, 62, as she walked onto the Wheel of Fortune stage to introduce the exciting new guest.
“As you just heard, Pat will be back next week. In the meantime, I’m happy to fill in,” the beloved TV personality said in the preview. “But, you know, I could do this even better hosting the show with a Sajak. Everyone, please welcome Pat’s daughter, Maggie Sajak.”
As the blonde beauty took the stage in a stunning red minidress, she was immediately greeted with cheers and applause. As she chatted with Vanna, Maggie said while it was a “scary experience” regarding her dad’s emergency surgery to correct a blocked intestine, she assured fans he was doing “great.”
At the end of the show, Maggie and Vanna returned to the center of the stage and the two reflected on Pat’s daughter’s first-ever appearance on Wheel of Fortune in 1996. After a clip of baby Maggie making her game show debut alongside her dad played out, she joked she’s hopefully “a little more eloquent than last time.” We think Maggie did fantastic!
Maggie’s guest appearance on her dad’s iconic game show — which he’s been hosting since 1982 — comes weeks after Pat shared the news of his emergency surgery on November 7. Although fans missed the former Pat Sajak Show star, they couldn’t have been happier to have his costar fill in during his time off.
“You know, I’m getting some great feedback,” Vanna exclusively told Closer Weekly in early November, noting that she was a little terrified about filling in such big shoes. “It did get easier as the shows went on,” she added. “I was just kind of thrown into it. It was a lot to comprehend to carry a show, and I’m a very shy person anyway and don’t really talk a lot. So to have to carry the show was kind of scary.”
