Sat Oct 04 00:30:00 UTC 2025: **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

**Ryan Seacrest’s “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” Debut Spins to Ratings Success**

**NEW YORK, NY – October 1, 2024** – The highly anticipated season premiere of ABC’s “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,” marking Ryan Seacrest’s debut as host, has proven a resounding success, drawing in a substantial 3.55 million viewers on Friday, September 26th. This impressive figure represents the show’s largest audience in nearly two years, according to Nielsen’s live+same day data.

The premiere’s viewership is up a significant 17% compared to last year’s season premiere (3.04 million), which was Pat Sajak’s final season as host. With Seacrest taking the reins alongside co-host Vanna White, “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” dominated the Friday 8 p.m. ET timeslot, securing the top spot among all broadcast programs and achieving its best viewership numbers since December 13, 2023.

The show’s performance also marked ABC’s strongest showing in the Friday 8 p.m. slot for entertainment programming since an episode of “Jeopardy Masters” aired in May 2024. In a head-to-head competition, “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” outshone CBS’s “Big Brother” by a remarkable 82% in total viewership (3.55 million vs. 1.95 million).

The season premiere featured contestants from ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”: Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli, and Jenna Johnson. Fans can look forward to the next episode on October 3rd, featuring Retta (“Parks and Recreation”), Joey McIntyre (New Kids on the Block), and Oliver Hudson (“Happy Gilmore 2”).

The “Wheel of Fortune” franchise continues to thrive under Seacrest’s stewardship. The syndicated daytime show has also seen growth, according to CBS Media Ventures. The syndicated series averaged 7.93 million viewers last season, with a slight bump of 74,000 vs. the previous year. In households, the game show posted a 4.6 rating for this past season in households, up 1% from the previous year.

Seacrest succeeds longtime host Pat Sajak, who retired from the daytime “Wheel of Fortune” in June 2024 after a remarkable four-decade run. His last appearance as host of “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,” was last season.

“Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” is produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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