Advertisement

Wheel of Fortune's Pat Sajak Says the ‘Worst Has Passed’ Following Emergency Intestine Surgery

Pat Sajak is looking forward to getting back to work!

The longtime Wheel of Fortune host, 73, gave fans a health update on Monday, just three days after the show announced that he had to undergo emergency surgery for a blocked intestine.

“I’m so grateful for all the good wishes during my recent illness,” he wrote on Twitter.

“Happy to say that the worst has passed, and I’ll be out of the hospital in a day [or] two, then back to work (unless @TheVannaWhite has completely taken over!)” he joked, referencing the fact that in his absence, White will be stepping in as host.

RELATED: First Look! Vanna White Fills in as Wheel of Fortune Host After Pat Sajak’s Emergency Surgery

On Friday, representatives for the show told PEOPLE that while Sajak is expected to be fine, Thursday’s taping of the show was canceled.

“The Wheel of Fortune taping on Thursday was canceled because host Pat Sajak underwent successful emergency surgery to correct a blocked intestine,” the show posted to its social media channels. “He is resting comfortably and looking forward to getting back to work. Taping resumed today as scheduled, and Vanna White has stepped in a host.”

The following day, the show gave viewers their first look at White’s upcoming episodes as host, which will begin airing on Dec. 9.

“Vanna steps in as host and Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto join in the fun!” the show wrote on Twitter alongside two photos of White on the Wheel of Fortune set, which was all decked out for Christmas.

Vanna White | Wheel of Fortune/Twitter
Vanna White | Wheel of Fortune/Twitter

Sajak has been hosting Wheel of Fortune, which is the longest-running syndicated game show in the U.S., since 1982. The show taped its 7,000th episode in May of last year.

Opening up to PEOPLE last month about their “brotherly and sisterly chemistry,” White revealed that in the 37 years they’ve been on air together, she and Sajak have never had a single fight in real life, except once about whether to put ketchup on a hot dog.

“We’re one big family,” she told PEOPLE of the Wheel of Fortune cast and crew. “It’s wonderful.”