:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(939x479:941x481)/pat-maggie-sajak-1-9603ad27a64946bbafe3f4e20623f7c9.jpg)
Pat Sajak's daughter Maggie Sajak is all grown up.
The Wheel of Fortune host, who announced his retirement in June 2023, welcomed Maggie with his wife Lesly Brown in 1995. The couple also share a son, Patrick.
With her father hosting the hit gameshow since 1981, Maggie is no stranger to the Wheel of Fortune stage — she even made her Wheel of Fortune debut as a baby! Now 29 years old, Maggie has taken on a larger role with the show, including acting as a "special letter toucher" in 2020 and serving as the series' social correspondent since 2021.
On May 10, 2023, Maggie made her Wheel of Fortune hosting debut, subbing in for Vanna White as the longtime co-host became a contestant.
Beyond the Wheel of Fortune set, Pat and Maggie seem to have a close relationship. In September 2022, Maggie posted a sweet tribute to her father in honor of his 40-year anniversary with the show.
"Happy 40th Wheel-iversary to this guy!" she tweeted alongside a throwback of her father hosting the series. "On this day in 1981, @patsajak hosted his very first episode of @WheelofFortune… and the rest is history!"
From her country music career as a teenager to her Wheel of Fortune duties, here's everything to know about Pat Sajak's daughter, Maggie Sajak.
She was born in 1995 and has an older brother
Maggie was born on Jan. 5, 1995, to Pat and Lesly. Lesly is Pat's second wife — the couple got married in 1989 after his divorce from Sherrill Sajak in 1986.
She also has an older brother, Patrick, who was born in 1990. He's stayed out of the public eye more so than his sister, but his father has mentioned him on TV, telling a Wheel of Fortune audience in 2021 that his son had graduated from medical school.
Maggie shared the news on Instagram too, describing herself as "the MOST proud" alongside a picture of her and Patrick.
She's a law student
According to Maggie's Instagram bio, she's currently a law student. She previously graduated from Princeton University and completed a postgraduate program at Columbia University.
However, her sights weren't always set on becoming a lawyer. Speaking to The Daily Front Row in 2013, Maggie — who was a sophomore at Princeton at the time — said she was taking a pre-med course "in case I ever want to go to medical school."
She started playing guitar at the age of 13
In a 2013 interview with Teen Vogue, Maggie explained that she began playing a mini acoustic guitar at the age of 7 or 8, but got her first real guitar from her grandparents on her 13th birthday.
"It's always been a dream of mine to be a singer," she told the outlet. "When I started playing guitar and performing more often, my passion for music became a top priority. With each new song I record and music video I release, I see my dreams becoming a reality."
She launched her country music career at 16 years old
When Maggie was just 16 years old, she released her first single, the country-pop track "First Kiss." The song's music video was directed by well-known country music video director Trey Fanjoy and filmed in Nashville.
Her other singles include "Wild Boy," "Live Out Loud" and "If I Was Gonna Go."
She served as a "special letter toucher" on Wheel of Fortune in 2020
After Pat underwent emergency surgery to repair a blocked intestine in November 2019, Maggie stepped in for her father at work to act as a "special letter toucher" on the show two months later.
During her appearance on Wheel of Fortune, Maggie described her father's surgery as a "scary experience," but added that "he's doing great, and I know he's so excited to be back next week."
Off-screen, Maggie was seen supporting Pat during some of his first outings after surgery. The father-daughter duo attended a Washington Capitals game together three weeks following the procedure.
She's the Wheel of Fortune social correspondent
Her father has been a staple on Wheel of Fortune since 1981, and now — after previously filling in for him — Maggie has a role of her own on the gameshow: social correspondent.
She assumed the position in 2021, saying, "The Wheel of Fortune staff and crew have always been like an extended family ... and I'm thrilled to be working with them. It's a real privilege to be able to treat the show's longtime viewers to a look at what goes on when the cameras aren't rolling. Plus, I get to use the carpool lane with my father!"
She often posts throwback family photos on Instagram
A frequent social media user, Maggie regularly posts throwback snaps of herself with her family. For Father's Day in 2022, she shared a photo of herself with her father at her kindergarten father-daughter dance on Instagram, joking that she "can't believe he was still in kindergarten at that age!"
In September 2021, she shared another photo of the whole family on the set of Wheel of Fortune on Instagram, captioning the post: "Memories on the @wheeloffortune set (before I learned how to look at the right camera)."
She has a pet dog
While the Sajak family's dog of 12 years, Stella, died in 2021, Maggie has since gotten a dog of her own, Jak.
Maggie runs an Instagram account for Jak, which has over 2,500 followers. He has even visited the Wheel of Fortune set! Maggie documented her dog's gameshow debut on Instagram, including a video of her showing Jak around the studio.
"Showing Jak things he's never seen before: ✨@wheeloffortune set edition✨," she captioned the April 2023 post.
She made her Wheel of Fortune hosting debut in May 2023
Although Maggie has appeared on the show several times throughout the years, she served as the show's host for the first time on May 10, 2023, filling in for White.
On May 9, Maggie announced the news on her Instagram Story, writing, "Warming up for Wednesday," over a clip of her walking along the Wheel of Fortune letter board.
During the episode, White appeared as a contestant, competing against Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings.
After her big debut, Maggie posted a photo on Instagram of her and White from the evening.
"It was an HONOR filling in for you tonight @officialvannawhite!" she captioned the photo. "And congrats on raising $30,000 for @stjude!🧡."
Maggie Sajak Instagram
After Pat announced in June 2023 that he would be retiring from Wheel of Fortune, Maggie hinted that she may return to the show. She reshared a post that quoted Pat revealing the upcoming season would be his last, writing, "It's so much fun working with my dad...and we're looking forward to even more fun in Season 41."
ncG1vNJzZmiolaS9rbGNnKamZ6CWv6a606xmmqScYq6ju9StZKmZpGLAorbApGSdmaWctbWx0Wakmp%2BXnrJuv8CjmKRn