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Who was Merv Griffin? Pat Sajak thanks 'Wheel of Fortune' creator after stepping down as show's host

Merv Griffin was the creator of shows like 'Jeopardy!', 'Wheel of Fortune' and 'Click'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Pat Sajak, 76, is feeling thankful to the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ creator Merv Griffin. The longtime host of the phenomenal gameshow, Sajak, paid a heartfelt tribute to Griffin on his birthday on July 6. As Sajak announced his retirement following the show’s 41st season, Ryan Seacrest is expected to step into his shoes.

Sajak wrote, “Merv Griffin, the creator of ‘Wheel of Fortune,’ was born on this date in 1925,” before adding, “I owe the man so much.” Sajak joined the show in 1981 replacing the original presenter Chuck Woolery. A grateful Sajak thanked Griffin for giving him a chance when he was relatively unknown, “He absolutely defied network executives by insisting on hiring an unknown local TV weatherman to take over his show in 1981. That was me, and I’ve been grateful ever since.”

On June 13, Sajak took to his Twitter to announce his retirement from the hosting duties. He wrote, “Well, the time has come,” before elaborating, “I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. (If nothing else, it’ll keep the clickbait sites busy!).”

Who was Merv Griffin?

The media baron and iconic creator of several game shows, Merv Griffin (born Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr) was born on July 6, 1925. The celebrated broadcaster started his career as a radio singer but later made his way into films and Broadway. Upon hearing him on the radio, singer Freddy Martin asked him to join his troupe. Griffin complied and toured with him for four years. In 1945, he launched his record company, Panda Records, which produced America’s first-ever magnetically recorded album, ‘Songs by Merv Griffin’. 

After having several stints with game shows like ‘Play Your Hunch’, ‘Word for Word’, Griffin landed his own talk show - ‘The Merv Griffin Show’ from 1965 to 1986. The show won 11 Emmy Awards during its 21-year run. He invited many controversial guests including Norman Mailer, Bertrand Russell, and George Carlin who often spoke against Vietnam War. 

Through his companies, Merv Griffin Enterprises and Merv Griffin Entertainment, he created immensely successful gameshows like ‘Jeopardy!’ and ‘Wheel of Fortune’. According to Associated Press, Griffin credited the idea of ‘Jeopardy!’ to his wife Julann. He was married to Julann from 1958 to 1976. They were parents to a son named Tony Griffin. He was also the creator of 'Click', which was the debut show of Ryan Seacrest. He was a businessman with an interest in real estate too apart from the entertainment industry. A lifelong supporter of the Republican Party. Griffin was an honorary pallbearer at the funeral of President Ronald Reagan in 2004. 

Griffin was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1974 and in the Television Walk of Fame in 2008 posthumously. Griffin was also inducted into the ‘Jeopardy! Hall of Fame’ at the inaugural ‘Jeopardy! Honors’ in 2022. Griffin died of prostate cancer on August 12, 2007, at the age of 82.

‘I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak’

After Sajak’s retirement, ‘American Idol’ host Ryan Seacrest has been announced as the next host of ‘Wheel of Fortune’. The 48-year-old TV presenter took to his Instagram to announce, “I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak,” Seacrest said. “I can say, along with the rest of America, that it’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them.”

He further retrospected and said that one of the “first jobs” of his career was hosting Merv Griffin’s ‘Click’, thus hosting ‘Wheel of Fortune’ will be a “full circle moment” for him.