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Hoda Kotb’s Today Exit: Daughters Hope and Haley Make Adorable Appearance on Last Day

Hoda Kotb’s kids, Haley and Hope, appeared beside the television icon during her last appearance as co-anchor of Today.

Two very special guests helped Toda Copy celebrate her last day at the.

Two very special guests helped usher Hoda Kotb into her new chapter.

During the longtime Today host’s final show Jan. 10, her two kids, Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, were among those who made an appearance on the NBC morning show.

But they weren’t the only ones wishing the longtime anchor farewell, celebrities such as Jamie Lee Curtis, Oprah Winfrey and even Kermit the Frog all sent their best wishes on her last day.

The 60-year-old, who started hosting Today’s fourth hour in 2007 and joined Savannah Guthrie as co-anchor of the first hour in 2017, tearfully announced her departure from the show in September, expressing how she wanted to spend more time with her girls.

“Obviously I had my kiddos late in life,” she told Savannah as well as Today’s Al Roker, Craig Melvin, Jenna Bush Hager, and Sheinelle Jones. “And I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have. I feel like we only have a finite amount of time. And so, with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world.”

As for the future, she’s already looking forward to exploring new hobbies and spending mornings with her daughters.

“I’ve found out, in my town, there’s a 5:30 Soul Cycle class which I’m going to start,” Hoda told E! News in October. “Then I’m going to go back and feed my kids breakfast and I am going to make a coffee to go in my Yeti.”

She added, “I’m going to walk my kids down the beautiful streets to their school and I’m going to kiss them goodbye.”

Instagram / Hoda Kotb

While the veteran journalist previously confirmed she wasn’t fully saying goodbye to the NBC family, she has teased some new ventures.

“I’m starting a wellness app and company that will involve retreats and a podcast and all kinds of things that we can get together, do things that I love,” she explained on The Kelly Clarkson Show earlier this month. “It’s not like going to Mexico with your girls, which is fun, but this is something that when you leave, you’ll go like, ‘Oh my gosh. I feel transformed. I feel different.’”

There’s a shocking amount of drama behind Jeopardy! right now

Sony is pulling a coup on the distribution rights to Jeopardy! and Wheel Of Fortune

Jeopardy! and Wheel Of Fortune are the workhorse game shows of television, quietly and consistently providing entertainment for more than half a century. You’d never know that behind the scenes a vicious battle is being waged between the show’s production company, Sony Pictures Television, and their longtime distributor, CBS.

In the fall, Sony filed a lawsuit over distribution of the shows overseas, disrupting an agreement in place between the two parties for decades. In response, CBS countersued, accusing Sony of “attempting to obtain in court what it could not get at the bargaining table: the rights to the Series for free, by finding any excuse it can muster.” With the matter still unresolved in the courts, Sony has suddenly staged an all-out coup to seize control over the distribution of the game shows.

In a letter sent to CBS on Monday (via The Hollywood Reporter), Sony stated it was delivering to CBS one last week of shows, after which Sony will directly deliver episodes of the series to broadcasters.  “Please be advised that in light of the failures of CBS Studios Inc. (‘CBS’) to live up to its contractual obligations, Sony Pictures Television Inc., Califon Productions, Inc., and Jeopardy Productions, Inc (collectively, ‘Sony Pictures’) have assumed global distribution functions for Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! … including, but not limited to, content delivery, advertising sales, marketing, promotions, show integrations, affiliate relations, public relations, domestic and foreign licensing, and foreign format licensing,” the letter reads in part.

This power play was met with ire from CBS. The company sent its own message to clients stating, “We are aware Sony has informed you that it has purported to assume the distribution functions for Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, and that it has terminated CBS’s distribution arrangement. This communication is false, inappropriate, and ineffective. Sony has no rights under the distribution agreements to terminate them, and CBS remains the distributor for the Series, notwithstanding any communications from Sony to the contrary. Any contention by Sony that it has reclaimed the distribution rights is subject to ongoing judicial proceedings, and CBS will be seeking immediate relief from the appropriate courts. All business should continue in the usual course.”

Sony’s problems with CBS are myriad. For one, Sony says CBS overreached its distribution agreement by making deals in Australia and New Zealand, and licensed streaming rights it doesn’t own.

Sony also claims that after laying off staff at CBS’ parent company Paramount Global, Sony was left to pick up the slack for marketing, promotion, and even “negotiations with major station groups for the renewals of the shows,” per its lawsuit (via The Los Angeles Times). CBS, meanwhile, argues that it remains an effective distributor for the shows and compliant with the existing agreements.

Its countersuit alleges that Sony is looking for backdoor ways to control the shows because the company failed to buy back the distribution rights in previous negotiations.

‘The Price Is Right’ Introduces Huge New Twist & Big Jackpot – Fans React

The Price is Right Instagram

Drew Carey shook things up on last Wednesday’s (January 29) episode of The Price Is Right at Night, introducing a massive new twist to Plinko and giving a contestant the chance to walk away with over $200,000. Now fans are wondering if the super-sized prize will get introduced to the dayside version of the show and if other changes are on the way.

Having debuted in 1983, Plinko has become the most popular pricing game ever on The Price Is Right. However, after 40-plus years, Carey thought it was time to add a new wrinkle to the game in the form of the Golden Plinko chip.

As long-time viewers know, Plinko sees a contestant given one round flat disc (a Plinko chip), which they must drop into the Plinko board in hopes of landing the chip in a high-value slot at the bottom while trying to avoid the $0 slot in the center. The contestant can also earn up to four more chips by guessing the value of small prize items.

A contestant named Michelle made her way up to the stage on Wednesday’s episode after guessing the closest to the price of a trip to Santa Barbara, California. Announcer George Gray then explained she would be playing Plinko before Carey revealed a twist to the game.

“You can win four more chips, but tonight we have a special twist to the game,” the beloved host said. “One of the prizes has a special Golden Plinko chip attached to it. And if you get the gold Plinko chip, wherever [it] drops, we’re gonna times whatever it lands on by ten.”

 

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Bài viết do The Price Is Right (@therealpriceisright) chia sẻ

Michelle looked shocked as Carey explained, “So if you land on the $20,000, you can win $200,000 with that one chip.”

During the pricing game, Michelle earned three more chips, including the coveted golden chip, and took to the stairs to drop her chips into the Plinko board.

The first three chips all landed in the $5,000 slot, giving her a total of $15,000. But she still had the Golden chip to go, with a chance to increase whatever she landed on by ten.

Michelle dropped the Golden chip, hoping to land it in the $20,000 slot. However, it veered off and ultimately ended up in the $2,000 slot, giving her another $20,000.

“Aww,” Carey added, seemingly disappointed the Golden chip didn’t land in a higher value. “Well, $35,000 altogether,” he added. “That’s not bad. Not bad at all.”

 

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The Golden Plinko chip has been seen once before on The Price Is Right, on April 4, 2008, when it debuted as part of the show’s $1,000,000 Spectacular episode. However, back then, a contestant could only earn the special chip if they could amass at least $60,000 with their regular chips, which didn’t end up happening.

Fans loved the introduction of the new twist and took to social media to share their excitement, with one Instagram user writing, “Ooh, I LIKE this twist!!!”

“I’ve literally had this exact idea for about 10 years to help spice up plinko a bit. Looking for any new game designers?” said another.

“NOW… that’s my kinda PLINKO game…” another added.

Another wrote, “Do this for daytime too!!”

“Yeeeeees!!! The smile on her face!!! Love TPIR,” said one fan.

“Let’s gooooo,” added another.

Did you watch Wednesday’s episode? What did you think of the Golden Plinko chip twist? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

The Price Is Right, Weekdays, CBS

The Price Is at Night, Weeknights, CBS

‘Wheel of Fortune’ and ‘Jeopardy’ Legal Fight Intensifies as Sony Moves to Take Over Distribution Rights From CBS Amid Lawsuit

CBS counters to station partners that Sony’s letter a ‘false, inappropriate and ineffective’ strategy to control of profitable shows

Sony Pictures Television

UPDATED with CBS statement and CBS’ contract with Nielsen

Sony Pictures TV aims to take over full distribution of “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy” as early as next week the studio battles CBS in a lawsuit over their longstanding partnership on the syndicated game show stalwarts.

Sony Pictures sent CBS a formal letter on the morning of Feb. 3 exerting that it will take over responsibility as early as next week for getting new episodes to the 200-plus TV stations around the country that carry the top-rated game shows. But CBS is fighting the move, creating a tug-of-war around the shows between Sony Pictures Television and CBS’ sales and distribution company.

Sony Pictures has also amended the lawsuit filed in October alleging that CBS’ owes Sony money from past distribution deals, and it claims that CBS has overstepped the boundaries of its distribution contract with licensing deals that it has set up in Australia and other overseas markets. Sony filed suit against CBS in Los Angeles Superior Court in October; CBS countersued in November.

“To facilitate an orderly transition of the distribution functions for the Shows, on January 27, 2025, Sony Pictures delivered to CBS the episodes of the Shows to air the week of February 3 through February 9,” the letter states. “We expect CBS to take all necessary steps to ensure that the episodes are properly delivered to broadcasters. Sony Pictures will begin delivery of episodes of the Shows to broadcasters starting with the episodes scheduled to air the week of February 10.”

CBS responded in the wake of Sony’s move with a letter of its own to station affiliates of both shows, which include Disney and ABC’s three largest O&O stations in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. CBS flatly asserts to station operators that Sony has “no rights” to assume control of distribution.

“We are aware Sony has informed you that it has purported to assume the distribution functions for Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, and that it has terminated CBS’s distribution arrangement.  This communication is false, inappropriate, and ineffective,” CBS said. “Sony has no rights under the distribution agreements to terminate them, and CBS remains the distributor for the Series, notwithstanding any communications from Sony to the contrary.  Any contention by Sony that it has reclaimed the distribution rights is subject to ongoing judicial proceedings, and CBS will be seeking immediate relief from the appropriate courts.  All business should continue in the usual course.”

Sony’s amended complaint slams CBS for ending its business contract with ratings provider Nielsen, which Sony asserts is hurting the profitability of “Wheel” and “Jeopardy” because the lack of ratings data is handicapping the show’s advertising sales. CBS and Nielsen part ways on Oct. 1 over a dispute about the high cost of Nielsen’s services and the expansion of alternate audience measurement options.

“Following the lapse of the Nielsen agreement, CBS has essentially operated blindly: Effectively fulfilling advertising sales obligations requires evaluation of rigorous, accurate ratings data on a daily or near-daily basis,” the Sony complaint states. “Agencies transacting with CBS are now also operating without ratings data needed to price advertising, heightening the risk that advertising for the Shows will be sold at rates completely divorced from the rates that the Shows could command if dependable ratings data were available. Sony Pictures continues to be harmed by this lack of data every day that passes in the scatter market, and the informational deficit under which CBS and agencies are operating will prove even more harmful come ‘Upfront’ sales, when the majority of advertising for the Shows is sold.”

Sony’s complaints asserts that CBS’ lack of Nielsen data to provide advertisers has cost “Wheel” and “Jeopardy” advertising commitments from Procter & Gamble, the consumer products giant that is historically one of TV’s top-spending marketers. Later on Feb. 3, CBS parent company Paramount Global unveiled a new agreement with Nielsen that restores the company’s access to ratings that remain the universal currency for most TV advertising deals.

In late October, after Sony’s initial suit was filed, CBS strongly defended its rights until a more than 40-year-old agreement struck by “Wheel” and “Jeopardy” creator Merv Griffin with King World Productions in 1982 and 1983. Sony acquired Merv Griffin Entertainment in 1994 while King World was scooped by CBS in 2000. CBS maintains Sony has no right to ‘terminate’ the terms of the original agreement.

“Our contract is clear that we hold the distribution rights to these series in perpetuity. We strongly refute any claims by Sony that we did not use our best efforts in distributing the programs or otherwise failed to abide by our obligations under the agreements. Sony’s claims are rooted in the fact they simply don’t like the deal the parties agreed to decades ago,” CBS said in a statement in October.

Disney’s ABC-owned stations could wind up caught in the crossfire. ABC-owned WABC-TV New York, KABC-TV Los Angeles and WLS-TV Chicago are among the top station affiliates of “Wheel” and “Jeopardy,” as the shows are sold in first-run syndication not via a network but to local TV stations on a market-by-market basis. Sony Pictures TV handles production of the episodes while CBS handles all syndication sales, national barter advertising sales, marketing and physical distribution matters.

Sony has asked CBS to provide copies all domestic and international licensing agreements related to the shows as well as all advertising contracts.

What Wynonna Judd said to Jenna that moved her to tears

Wynonna Judd has so much love for Jenna Bush Hager. While co-hosting TODAY with Jenna & Friends on Jan. 30, the country music icon told Jenna how she’s been thinking about her since she’s taken the reins of the show after Hoda Kotb left TODAY, comparing the experience to when she and her late mother, Naomi Judd, broke up as the Judds in the early 1990s.

“I was going to tell you this. Last night I didn’t sleep at all because I just have you on my heart,” Judd said.

“I watch you every day, and I went on my own in 1992, solo, and I think about you so much. And you’re a mom and a wife, and I don’t know how you’re doing this, but I just want to affirm you and say that being authentic is lonely. And I can imagine you feel that way sometimes, but I just love you and I appreciate you and I admire you so much.”

Jenna was choked up, as Judd explained how difficult putting a show together is.

“This is hard. This isn’t easy. We make it look easy, but the truth is we’re paddling like heck underneath the waters, right, and making it look good from here up,” she continued while motioning to her face.

“And, it’s just amazing. I had to do this show. I don’t really love live TV because I’m always afraid I’m going to go viral for the wrong reasons, but I just had to do this.”

“That is so sweet,” an emotional Jenna said.

“I just admire you for doing this on your own. I have you on my heart because I did it myself,” Judd said, noting how she went “out on my own.”

She said that period of her life was challenging.

“It was exhilarating and terrifying, but when the voices are speaking to you, just remember,” she said as she started singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

“Walk through the storm/ Hold your head up high/ And don’t be afraid of the dark/ Walk on,” she sang.

“Wow!” a teary-eyed Jenna responded.

“That’s what you’re doing,” Judd said.

Judd joked that she wanted to make Jenna cry.

“Well, you did it. I haven’t actually cried since Hoda left, so I felt like my heart was all crusted over, but it’s not,” Jenna said with a chuckle.

‘American Idol’ star Emmy Russell, granddaughter of country music legend, makes major life announcement

Emmy Russell, the 25-year-old granddaughter of country music legend Loretta Lynn, performs “Coal Miner’s Daughter” on “American Idol.”ABC video still

Emmy Russell made a splash on the national scene just last year with her appearance on “American Idol,” and the talented singer has been on folks’ radar ever since.

Russell, the granddaughter of country music legend Loretta Lynn, started off her run on “Idol” as a shy singer, but she came out of her shell some on that show, and she has shared her life with fans on social media since.

Which brings us to this weekend, and a major life event that Russell took fans along for the ride on.

That event? She is now a mother.

The 25-year-old revealed in December that she and fellow singer, Tyler Ward, 40, were expecting a child. She shared an Instagram reel Saturday of Ward holding their newborn daughter.

“I’m so in love with these two,” she wrote. “Dad is amazing while mom is healing. This is not glamours, lots of tears and frustration, body pain that I’m feeling, but dad is pulling through on my behalf.

“Feeling super grateful tonight …” she added. “Excited to share baby she is sooo beautiful. I’ve cried lots of tears when I look at her.”

Russell made it into the Top 5 of season 22 of “American Idol.”

It will be interesting to watch as she and Ward forge ahead as parents, and as she continues to build her career.

Every ‘Reba’ Sitcom Alum Who Has Since Appeared on Reba McEntire’s NBC Series ‘Happy’s Place’

The WB/Andrew Eccles; NBCUniversal

Happy’s Place has enjoyed keeping it in the TV family by casting numerous stars from Reba McEntire‘s past sitcom Reba.

Reba, which aired from 2001 to 2007, starred McEntire, Melissa Peterman, Christopher Rich, JoAnna Garcia Swisher and Steve Howey. Nearly two decades later, McEntire and Peterman reunited with former Reba executive producer Kevin Abbott on Happy’s Place.

“We are new characters. It’s a new time and it’s different. But those core things that you loved about it are there. It does feel really different [though],” Peterman exclusively told Us Weekly in October 2024. “As far as trying to harness the things that [Reba fans] love — like the chemistry that we have — that is there no matter what. We’re just new characters. And Barbra Jean [from Reba] was forced on Reba because she married her ex-husband. Gabby is there because she’s her friend.”

Peterman applauded Happy’s Place for finding a way to “keep the magic” without copying the same sitcom structure.

“The other big difference is real life family and the reality of blended families,” she noted. “Happy’s Place is all about finding family at work, and Belissa [Escobedo’s] character is also finding a family that she didn’t know existed and figuring that out. You’ll feel that same warm feeling but you’re gonna it’s new.”

Her costar Howey felt the same way when he joined for a potential multi-episode arc. “Kevin had this idea for this character ahead of time. And then he was like, ‘What if Howey would do it? That would be really great to get a reunion going.’ I fit the character description, so he gave me a call,” Howey recalled to Us two months later. “The planets just aligned on this one.”

He continued: “Now after 20 some years, I can bring different experiences to the characters that I play. Also the character relationships — because Happy’s Place is a new thing — are different. Yes, it’s Reba and Melissa, but the characters are different. Bobbie is a lot different than Reba. Gabby is a lot different than Barbara Jean, and Danny’s obviously different.”

Katy Perry’s Bold Statement About Carrie Underwood Replacing Her on ‘American Idol’

Katy Perry has something to say about Carrie Underwood replacing her as a judge on American Idol.

“She was born on that show. I think she knows how to steer it,” Perry, 40, told People in an interview published on Thursday, January 30, referring to Underwood’s season 4 win. “She actually truly knows… What it feels like to be in their shoes. We could only metaphorically feel that as judges.”

Underwood will make her debut as a judge on season 23 of American Idol, which premieres on March 9.

The “Before He Cheats” artist — who has faced significant backlash for her decision to perform at President Donald Trump’s inauguration earlier this month — joined judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie for the new season of the hit singing competition.

Despite Perry’s praise, some longtime viewers are boycotting the show following Underwood’s set at Trump’s inauguration — and they wasted no time in sharing their thoughts in the comments section of the trailer for Season 23, with many blatantly stating that despite tuning into every season since 2002, they will no longer watch due to Underwood’s new role. (Others, meanwhile, have stated that they will be watching for the first time solely because of the Grammy winner.)

In the one-minute trailer, Underwood gets visibly emotional while speaking to a contestant. “Even though this was about your son,” she said, while both she and the contestant got teary-eyed, “Every person can fill in that memory.” Another clip shows the “Jesus Take the Wheel” singer wiping away tears while Richie and Bryan give her a hug.

Perry, for her part, exited the show last year after seven seasons as a judge, citing her desire to “make space for other things” in an interview with Entertainment Tonight in April 2024. She went on to release her seventh album, 143, and will head out on a world tour in support of the record starting this April.

Season 23 of American Idol premieres March 9 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Is Scarlett Johansson closer to replacing Hoda Kotb on ‘Today’?

US actress Scarlett Johansson arrives for the 92nd Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on February 9, 2020. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)

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(NewsNation) — Hoda Kotb’s departure has left a huge hole in the third hour of “Today,” but her former co-host Jenna Bush has reportedly found a replacement.

While chatting with Tina Fey on stage at the Playground Partners Winter Luncheon at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Monday, Bush told Fey: “Hoda left and my heart is broken but I’m getting over it because Scarlett Johansson and I have matching earrings so — sorry, Hoda, I’ve moved on with one of the world’s most beautiful women!”

FILE – Colin Jost, left, and Scarlett Johansson arrive at the Oscars in Los Angeles on Feb. 9, 2020. The married couple, who once made comedy skits on “Saturday Night Live,” are reuniting onscreen for a new Super Bowl commercial. The 60-second ad launches Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, and will be televised during Super Bowl 56 on Feb. 13. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

FILE – Scarlett Johansson attends the Golden Heart Awards, Oct. 16, 2023, in New York. Research shows that chatbots and fake social media accounts get more engagement when they have female personas because people are more likely to view women as warm and approachable, and to see chatbots with female personas as more human than those posing as male. Johansson declined OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s request to voice the ChatGPT AI program and threatened to sue when the company went with what she called an “eerily similar” voice. OpenAI put the new voice on hold. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

FILE – Scarlett Johansson arrives at the Bafta Film Awards, in central London, Feb. 2 2020. Johansson is suing the Walt Disney Co. over the company’s streaming release of “Black Widow,” which she said breached her contract and deprived her of potential earnings. The “Black Widow” star and executive producer filed a suit Thursday, July 29, 2021, in the Los Angeles Superior Court that said her contract guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP, File)

FILE – Co-anchors Savannah Guthrie, left, and Hoda Kotb pose on set of the “Today” show at NBC Studios on Wednesday, June 27, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 06: Hoda Kotb is seen on the NBC Today Show at Rockefeller Plaza on September 06, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by NDZ/Star Max/GC Images)

TODAY — Pictured: Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager on Monday, September 16, 2024 — (Photo by: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)

Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb on NBC’s “Today” on August 12, 2024, in New York City. (Photo by NDZ/Star Max/GC Images via Getty Images)

The crowd laughed, but speculation is rising that Johansson, who clearly loved her time co-hosting with Bush and whose husband, Colin Jost, works at “SNL” in the building, would be a perfect full-time replacement.

For the next month, Bush is still rotating people in and out of the chair. Up next: Kelsea Ballerini, Kimberly Schlapman, Ciara and Wynonna Judd … but don’t be surprised if, in a month or two, Johansson takes the full-time slot.

Pat Sajak, 78, $h0cks fans when returning to TV to host Celebrity Wheel Of Fortune after retiring in June

Pat Sajak delighted fans and famous contestants alike when he returned to his hosting duties for a special episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune on Monday night.

The Emmy winner, 78, who retired in June after 41 years on the popular game show, clued fans into his appearance on X, writing,  ‘Apparently I’m back on TV tonight. I guess I’d better shave and shower.’

As they always have, Sajak and co-host Vanna White, 67, walked on to the set together.

The letter-turning veteran and Wheel correspondent Maggie Sajak shared a behind-the-scenes video of the pair as they prepared to take the stage together for the first time in months.

‘It’s showtime!!!✨’ they wrote to describe the clip.

Pat Sajak delighted fans and famous contestants alike when he returned to his hosting duties with Vanna White for a special episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune on Monday night

Dionne Warwick, 83, Chance the Rapper, 31, and Lil Jon, 53 all took a turn at guessing clues in an effort to win thousands of dollars for charity.  Chance emerged the champ winning $63,800 for SocialWorks. Warwick and Lil Jon each received $30,000 for their charities of choice

The celebrity contestants for the episode were Dionne Warwick, 83, Chance the Rapper, 31, and Lil Jon, 53.

All three were playing for charity and Chance was the overall champ, winning $63,800 for SocialWorks a group that empowers youth through the arts, education and civic engagement in Chicago.

Warwick and Lil Jon each walked away with $30,000 for their respective charities; North Jersey Community Research Initiative and Open Paths Counseling Center.

‘This was so much fun tonight. I like Ryan but thrilled to see Pat back & great guests. Lil John was very fun & Dionne is a legend & Chance was an absolute delight,’ wrote one fan after seeing the episode.

‘I’m not crying. You’re crying,’ commented another.

‘AAAAAH!!! WHO ELSE HAS GOOSEBUMPS???’ exclaimed a fan.

The holiday themed Celebrity Wheel of Fortune episode on Monday was the only special appearance for Sajak in 2024.

The episode was pre-recorded along with several others to be aired in 2025, but the Christmas theme would have seemed out of place.

As they always have, Sajak, 78, and co-host Vanna White, 67, walked on to the set together. The letter-turning veteran and Wheel correspondent Maggie Sajak shared a behind-the-scenes video of the pair as they prepared to take the stage together for the first time in months

The veteran host retired in June after 41 years on the show. Several other pre-recorded Celebrity episodes are set to be released sometime in 2025

The release date for the remaining Celebrity episodes has not been announced.

Those are set to be the veteran host’s last on the show.

While some diehard fans have been slow to warm to new host Ryan Seacrest, 49, adding him to the game show has been good for ratings.

Wheel of Fortune averaged 7.99 million viewers during Seacrest’s first month, and during that time, the show was ‘the most-watched entertainment series across broadcast, cable, and syndication,’ according to Nielsen data per Newsweek.

Seacrest and White were scheduled to be back in front of the cameras on Tuesday as they celebrate Fabulous Food Week.