"Wheel of Fortune" Is 50! See Photos from Every Decade of the Iconic Game Show's Epic Run

01/06/2025 07:30 AM

The long-running game show premiered 50 years ago today

When Wheel of Fortunepremiered on Jan. 6, 1975, the game show looked very different than it does today. While Pat Sajak and Vanna White would eventually come to define the show in most viewers' memories as much as the titular wheel, it would be years before either co-host signed on. Instead, Wheel of Fortune launched as a daytime series on NBC with co-hosts Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford at the helm.

Over the past five decades, the show switched networks multiple times while also airing in syndication, aired both daytime and evening editions and earned multiple Daytime Emmys, including three for Sajak. As the longest-running syndicated game show in the U.S., it has definitely stood the test of time, becoming a television institution.

On the show's 50th anniversary, take a trip back in time to see how Wheel of Fortune's look and the look of its hosts has evolved since 1975.  

1970s

Wheel of Fortune creator Merv Griffin tapped actor, musician and game show host Chuck Woolery to host Wheel of Fortune's earliest incarnation alongside model and actress Susan Stafford. Woolery left the show in 1981 and was replaced by Pat Sajak. The following year, Stafford followed suit, with Vanna White taking her place.

1980s

The dream team of Pat Sajak and Vanna White first hosted Wheel of Fortune together in 1982, and over the subsequent four decades became the indisputable faces of the show.

1990s

The show's look definitely moved with the times. White in particular brought a distinctive brand of eye-popping glamor to her role as co-host in the late-'80s and '90s.

2000s

White and Sajak were still going strong, as was Wheel of Fortune, in the 2000s. Of course, as the era of big hair and bold gowns receded, White's look matured into something more elegant and modern.

2010s

In 2017, White and Sajak marked the 35th anniversary of their pairing as co-hosts of the show with a special taping at Walt Disney World's Epcot Center in Orlando.

2020s

With Sajak's departure from the flagship series in June 2024, Wheel of Fortune entered a new era, with Ryan Seacrest joining White as the show's new co-host in September of that year. Sajak, meanwhile, didn't stay off the wheel for long. In July, the veteran host announced that he would be returning to host ABC's Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, which premiered in October.