In his own words, ESPN “First Take” co-host Stephen A. Smith is throwing his “name in the hat” as a potential replacement for Pat Sajak on “Wheel of Fortune.”
On Monday, the longtime host of “America’s Game” announced that he’ll be stepping down after the 41st season of the show that will begin this September. The 76-year-old has hosted the popular gameshow since 1983.
During the latest edition of “The Stephen A. Smith Show” (h/t Erin Keller of the New York Post), the longtime sports media personality expressed his desire to replace Sajak as the host for “Wheel of Fortune.”
Smith also emphasized that he would not walk away from his position at ESPN i
“My mother loved ‘Wheel of Fortune.’ Loved ‘Wheel of Fortune. She really, really did, and so did I. I wanna throw my name in the hat. I ain’t trying to give up my day job,” he said of ESPN’s sports analysis show “First Take.”
“I ain’t trying to give up my podcast. But I gotta tell you, if ‘Wheel of Fortune’ called to ask me to host for a couple of days, I wouldn’t mind. I wouldn’t mind hosting that show while folks try to figure out what those letters mean, and what it equates into.”
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Needless to say, on social media had plenty of reactions over Smith’s expressed wish to replace Sajak on “Wheel.”
“Wheel of Fortune” started airing in January 1975. To date, there have been more than 7,000 episodes broadcast during the show’s 48-year-history.
The game is similar to hangman, where contestants are given a blank puzzle (the only hint is a “category”), and then they take turns picking letters. Money values and additional prizes depend on where the contestant lands when they spin the wheel.
The 55-year-old Smith, who has been with ESPN since 2003, previously worked at The Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper before emerging as one of the most recognizable and well-known personalities on sports television.
