Wheel of Fortune fans missing Pat Sajak are getting some unexpected Holiday cheer. A special episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune will air on Monday, December 2 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC in primetime. The spinoff’s upcoming season marks Sajak’s last-ever time hosting.
The news was shared in a press release on Friday (November 1). It read: “Celebrity contestants spin to win for charity on this special holiday episode.” The contestants are Chance the Rapper (who is playing for SocialWorks), legendary singer Dionne Warwick (playing for North Jersey Community Research Initiative), and Lil Jon (playing for Open Paths Counseling Center). Sajak and the iconic Vanna White will serve as co-hosts.
The episode will be a one-off, with the rest of Sajak’s last Celebrity Wheel of Fortune season airing in 2025.
The announcement may puzzle some fans as it comes after the new season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune was pushed back to the New Year. Just days before its expected October 14, 2024 premiere, ABC shared that the Sajak-hosted show was being delayed to prioritize Monday Night Football, which would air on the network as well as sister station ESPN through the rest of the year.
Now it seems that for one night only, on December 2, fans will get to see Sajak on ABC while that night’s Cleveland Browns-Denver Broncos NFL game will be on ESPN.
The reason for this is likely that the whole season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune was already taped, including a Christmas episode, and it would have been strange to air that in 2025 since that would entail a Holiday theme after the Holiday season. So, the Holiday episode will show December 2, and the rest of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune’s new season will still air in 2025.
Meanwhile, Sajak has, of course, already been replaced by Ryan Seacrest as the host of the syndicated game show for Season 42. He is returning for just the spin-off to fulfill his contract. Celebrity guests will compete for $1 million (for a charity of their choosing).
The exact premiere date for the new season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune has not yet been announced, but Sajak has already taped all of his sendoff season, the rest of which will still on the back burner for months.
Before it was initially delayed, many of the contestants, a poster (seen above),and even an official trailer had already been shared, which was pulled because the date was no longer right. So while the rollout has been a bit bungled, at least fans will get a Holiday episode at the proper time of year.
Other guests include Rainn Wilson, Ellie Kemper, and Oscar Nuñez of The Office, Josh Gad, Justin Long, and Rachael Harris of New Girl, as well as Sam Richardson, Randall Park, and Matt Walsh of Veep. There’s also Tiffany Haddish and Regina Hall of Girls Trip, plus Joe Manganiello, Katharine McPhee, Andrew Rannells, Pete Holmes, and Cameron Brink. The rest are to be announced.
When the rest of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune finally does premiere, it will likely air weekly on Monday nights on ABC at 9 p.m. E.T. and likely not have any preemptions or schedule changes, which was why it was delayed to begin with.
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, Special Holiday Episode, Monday, December 2, 8 p.m. E.T.