Pat Sajak’s emergency surgery changed Maggie’s role on ‘Wheel of Fortune’: What happened in 2019?

Maggie Sajak has shared the story of the day her father, Pat Sajak, needed emergency surgery for an intestinal blockage. The November 2019 health scare was one of the most frightening moments for the family. Maggie looked back at the experience in an Instagram video posted on November 7, 2026, seven years after the incident. She opened the video and described the day as a major turning point in her life.

“Seven years ago today was the scariest day of my life, but it also turned out to be one of the most important,” she said.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Maggie Sajak (@maggiesajak)

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At the time, Maggie was in Los Angeles with her parents. Pat was due to tape an episode of Wheel of Fortune. He and Maggie had gone for their usual morning walk, but things took a frightening turn after they returned home.
“By the time we got home, my dad was experiencing a lot of abdominal pain, and he's not a big complainer. So my mom and I knew something was going on,” she recalled.

Maggie and her mother took Pat to the emergency room. Doctors found an intestinal blockage, and he needed emergency surgery.

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“We ended up actually bringing him into the emergency room, and thank goodness that we did, because it turns out we were actually in a life and death situation,” she said.

“It was terrifying. There is no other way around it. It was absolutely terrifying, but thankfully it wasn't a sign of something more serious underlying. Surgery went well.”

What happened to Pat Sajak in 2019?

Pat's medical emergency took place in November 2019. He later spoke about the experience in an interview with ABC News. He said he developed severe stomach pain after his morning walk with Maggie.

“I didn't know what it [was] -- but within two and a half hours, I was in surgery,” he told ABC News.Doctors operated on him for a blocked intestine. Pat also said his blood pressure had dropped dramatically. His surgery was successful, but he needed time to recover before he could return to the show.

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How Pat’s surgery gave Maggie her first major role on the show

While Pat recovered, Vanna White took over as host of Wheel of Fortune. About a week after his surgery, Maggie stepped in at the puzzle board as a guest letter-turner.

She explained how that opportunity came about in her video.

“About a week after my dad had surgery, he was healing well, but he wasn't medically cleared to go back to work yet. That is when I filled in at the puzzle board when Vanna filled in for my dad,” she said.

The appearance marked a major moment for Maggie. She had first appeared on the show as a toddler in 1996, but this time she took on a role during her father's absence.

Maggie said the opportunity eventually opened another door for her.

“Filling in that time is what eventually led to my role as social correspondent on the show and getting the chance to work with my dad for those years, which is something that I never expected and I am forever, forever grateful for,” she said, in the instagram video.

Maggie became Wheel of Fortune's social correspondent in 2021. The role gave her a chance to work on the show alongside her father.