Ryan Seacrest Reveals How He Secretly Spends ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Commercial Breaks

Wheel of Fortune host Ryan Seacrest and social correspondent Maggie Sajak divulged a little-known secret about what goes on behind the scenes during the game show’s commercial breaks.

In an Tuesday, April 8 video shared to the official Wheel of Fortune Instagram account, Maggie — daughter of Wheel icon and longtime host Pat Sajak — let fans in on the insider information.

“Not everyone knows this,” she began, standing next to Seacrest. “During the commercial breaks here, we have a fire playlist.”

The longtime American Idol host, 50, nodded his head in agreement. “We do, actually.”

Some of Seacrest’s favorite artists on the playlist include Hall & Oates and Natasha Bedingfield.

“I can hum along to that one,” he said about Bedingfield, before belting out a few “la la la”s and adopting a falsetto. Feel the wind on your cheeks,” he sang. (Seacrest appeared to be referring to Bedingfield’s hit “Unwritten” — otherwise known as The Hills theme song — in a potential lyric mix-up, as she sings on the chorus: “Feel the rain on your skin.”)

“When you see Ryan on the show, just know that’s what’s going through his head,” Maggie quipped after Seacrest’s rendition of the track.

“That’s what’s going through the commercial [break] and in my head,” he joked in response.

Seacrest love for ‘80s ballads, particularly Michael Bolton songs, also shone through in the light-hearted Q&A, during which Maggie, 30, also asked co-host Vanna White about the ideal karaoke song for her and Seacrest to belt out together. White’s choice? A Disney classic — specifically, “A Whole New World” from Aladdin. (Seacrest, for his part, opted for Elton John’s “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.”)

Wheel of Fortune has been on the air for 50 years, since 1975. After Pat began his tenure on the game show in1981, he would go on to helm the Wheel for 43 years before retiring in June 2024. Seacrest, for his part, began hosting the show in September 2024.

White has manned the puzzle board since 1982.

Every host of the show has shared backstage secrets over the past 50 years, including White’s recent admission about just how many dresses she has worn since 1982.

The professional letter-turner, 68, toldDrew Barrymore in March that she’s worn “over 8,000 gowns” on air — a different dress in every episode.