Pat Sajak’s real height leaves fans wondering why he always looked much shorter next to Vanna White
Pat Sajak will always be remembered by "Wheel of Fortune" fans as a friendly host who engaged in banter with fans. He has been replaced by Ryan Seacrest, who was recently called too short for the role by viewers loyal to Sajak. But it's not like Sajak himself didn't face the issue. It went so far that the host had to talk about his height as he clarified why he looked short on screen.
The Daytime Emmy-winning host stands about 5 feet 10 inches tall, which puts him just above the national average for men in the United States. However, looking at him on the show, Sajak seems to be shoulder-to-shoulder with most contestants and his co-host Vanna White. According to reports, White is 5 feet 6 inches tall, but she regularly wears heels on the show, which is one of the reasons why Sajak appears smaller while standing next to her. Furthermore, a production oversight in the initial years of the show added to the height discrepancy.
According to ScreenRant, back then, producers made the shorter contestants stand on boxes to help them get a better view of the podium and spin the wheel freely. As a result, the contestants who may have been shorter than Sajak, towered over the host when he came over to speak to them. The very same comments were made by Sajak in a 2015 interview with WLKY. “When the show first started, we would put shorter players on boxes, but [the] problem is, I would walk next to a great-grandmother on the show, and I would walk next to her, and people thought I was a jockey," Sajak told the publication.
“So now we are on risers, and when they go up, I go up, and we stay about the same size. But it got engrained in people that I was about 4 feet 3," Sajak further added. Nevertheless, Sajak no longer has to deal with the issue as his hosting days are behind him. Now, Ryan Seacrest has come under the scanner for the same reason.
IMDB reports that Seacrest is about 5 feet 8 inches tall, which makes him a tad bit shorter than Sajak. While it has nothing to do with his hosting skills, a bunch of viewers have pointed it out as a problem on social media. In a post shared on the show's unofficial Reddit forum, some fans shamed him for being short after his debut. “I know Ryan is not a giant but come on… He could definitely use some heels in this episode. Literally every single contestant was at least an inch or two taller than he is," @Upstate_Gooner_1972 complained.
At the same time, there were viewers who came forward to defend Seacrest. "Let's not body shame. He's personable, nice to contestants, and keeps the show moving at a good pace. If you don't like him, watch something else. 🙄," wrote @cancer_beater.
"People find the weirdest reasons to hate on Ryan….I guess that means he’s doing a good job if this is the complaint you have," @Salty-Director-7560 added.
