After 41 years at the helm of the beloved game show Wheel of Fortune, host Pat Sajak’s last episode is airing.
The episode airs Friday, June 7, and comes a year after he announced his retirement on X on June 12 of last year. He announced that he decided the 41st season, which took place from 2023 to 2024, would be his last. Naturally, many fans were heartbroken and devastated that their favorite host would be leaving the beloved game show.
But he promised them one more season, and he delivered. Now that season has come to a close. In celebration, the show has been posting a four-part interview series on their Instagram, where Pat Sajak talks to his daughter Maggie Sajak about his time on the show.
They’ve reminisced on how he got his start on the show, what it was like for their family, and when his iconic co-host Vanna White was hired. In the final part, he detailed why he’d decided it was time for him to finally make his departure from the show. He told his daughter that at the end of every contract renewal, he’d always tried to reassess to see if it was time for him to move on.
He noted that he never wanted to leave the show too late, or to still be hosting on his deathbed. He always thought it would be better to leave too early rather than too late. On his last contract renewal, he decided it would be his last and he was ready to usher the show on to a worthy predecessor.
In his interview, he told his daughter that he wanted to be able to spend time relaxing with his family and hang out with any potential grandkids that could come his way.
There’s no drama associated with his departure or tension in his exit, it’s just time for moving on. He’s even said that he may not be retiring for good, and that if something really special comes along, he may be tempted to come to come out of retirement eventually.
For now, the 77-year-old with 8,000 episodes under his belt is sitting back and relaxing for a good old-fashioned retirement.
Don’t worry, there will still be a familiar face. According to KGW, Vanna White will remain as the cohost until at least 2026.
Next season fans can look forward to television personality and host Ryan Seacrest filling Sajak’s shoes. And they are big shoes to fill.
Published: Jun 7, 2024 12:27 pm