"Wheel of Fortune" host Pat Sajak is recovering Friday from emergency surgery to fix a blocked intestine, the show said in a statement. The show paused taping for a day on Thursday, and resumed Friday with co-host Vanna White at the helm.

Thursday's taping was canceled while the 73-year-old Sajak underwent the successful surgery, the statement said. White stepped in as host when taping resumed Friday, for episodes that will air starting on December 9.

Our taping on Thursday was canceled because host Pat Sajak underwent successful emergency surgery to correct a blocked intestine. He is resting comfortably and looking forward to getting back to work. Taping resumed today as scheduled and Vanna White has stepped in as host. pic.twitter.com/09zYOCE4hL — Wheel of Fortune (@WheelofFortune) November 8, 2019

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The statement said Sajak is resting comfortably and looking forward to returning. It did not say how long he is expected to be out, or how long White will serve as host.

Sajak and White have co-hosted the show since the early 1980s. She filled in for him once before for one segment of the show, when Sajak had laryngitis in 1996.

Disclaimer: "Wheel of Fortune" is distributed by CBS Television Distribution, a division of ViacomCBS.