Pat Sajak has been the face of "America's Game" Wheel of Fortune ever since its inception in 1982, and his charm and sense of humor have helped him become one of the most popular hosts in television history.

Fans were devastated in December 2019 when Pat had to undergo a major surgery and be replaced as host by his co-star Vanna White, but in an episode aired this January, another Sajak stepped up to make his absence easier to deal with—his daughter, Maggie.

Maggie took over Vanna's typical duties of "turning the letters" chosen by the contestants.

While this was some viewers' first exposure to her, it was far from her first time in the spotlight, as Maggie is also a successful country singer with a fanbase of her own. She may not be as beloved as her father, but there's a lot of interesting facts about Maggie Sajak that Wheel fans may be surprised to learn.

20 Maggie Appeared On Wheel Of Fortune When She Was A Baby

Maggie's brief stint as Vanna White's replacement may have been her most significant appearance on Wheel of Fortune, but it wasn't actually her first. She made her television debut in 1996, when her brother brought her on the set of the show.

"Come on kid! Well, how you doing kiddo?" asked Pat after introducing her to the viewers. "She's speaking baby, you can't quite understand this ... She just turned one year old."

19 She Started Playing Guitar Very Early

Maggie knew from a very young age that she was interested in pursuing a music career, and was only 12 years old when she first picked up a guitar and started playing. Thanks to that early start, she was a skilled enough singer and guitar player to release her first single, "First Kiss," by the time she turned 16.

18 Her Love For Country Music Came From Pat

Maggie was born and raised in Maryland, so country music isn't quite in her roots. Her love for the genre actually came from her father, who developed a love for country music during his time as a news anchor in Nashville before he started hosting Wheel of Fortune. Maggie grew up in a home where country music was constantly played, and eventually decided to make some country music of her own.

17 Her Father Helped Kickstart Her Music Career

Pat Sajak showed his support for Maggie's music career in 2012, when he celebrated her 17th birthday by playing Maggie's "First Kiss" music video on an episode of Wheel of Fortune. Wheel is one of the most-watched game shows on television, so this gift gave her instant exposure to viewers across the world.

16 Her First Music Video Had An Award-Winning Director

It can be extremely difficult to make it big in the music industry, and most artists these days have to build a following on YouTube before they can get signed and make professional music videos. Maggie's career, however, skyrocketed very quickly and her very first music video, for her single "First Kiss," was directed by CMT Music Award-winning director Trey Fanjoy.

15 One Of Her Songs Was Written To Honor A Teenager Fighting Cancer

In 2013, Maggie recorded a song in Nashville titled "Live Out Loud" which was written to honor Muriel Walters, a teenage pediatric cancer patient Maggie befriended during a visit to Johns Hopkins. The song was available to purchase on iTunes, and Maggie donated all proceeds towards cancer research.

 

14 She Attended Princeton University

Even though Maggie's music career was off to a strong start when she was in high school, she chose to attend Princeton University after graduation to become a pre-med student. She managed to keep releasing music during her time at the Ivy League school, but as time went on she seemingly started prioritizing her schoolwork, telling CMT, "Princeton was my dream school. So I thought I'd lay the ground work for med school while I'm in college."

13 She Has Tried Her Hand At Modeling

In addition to trying her hand at country music, Maggie has briefly pursued a modeling career and even did a college fashion-themed shoot with Teen Vogue while she was at Princeton.

"We focused on a punk look with a big blazer and chunky shoes, which I plan to wear this fall," she told The Daily. "The other look was denim on denim, which I wouldn’t usually think of wearing."

12 Maggie Briefly Took Vanna White's Role On Wheel Of Fortune

Vanna White's first episodes as host of Wheel of Fortune called on Mickey and Minnie Mouse to act as her letter turning replacements, but when she reappeared as host in 2020, she revealed to viewers that a Sajak would be stepping in.

"As you just heard, Pat will be back next week. In the meantime, I'm happy to fill in. But, you know, I could do this even better, hosting the show with a Sajak."

Maggie stepped onto the set to thunderous applause, and proceeded to help Vanna unveil the letters and puzzles guessed by the episode's contestants.

11 She Shares Her Father's Great Sense Of Humor

After Maggie showed Wheel viewers footage of her first appearance on the show when she was only a baby, she proved that she's as funny and personable as her father.

"I'm walking a little better now and hopefully I'm a little more eloquent than last time," she joked before telling fans that Pat is feeling better and looking forward to his return to the show.