Pat Sajak Leaving Wheel of Fortune After 40 Years
The 76-year-old actor announced on June 12 that he would be stepping down from his role as host at the end of the upcoming season. “Well, the time has come,” he said in a statement to E! News. “I have decided that our 41st season, which started in September, will be our last.” Sajak added, “It’s been a great journey, and I’ll be saying a lot more in the coming months. Thank you all.”
Meanwhile, Sony Pictures Television’s executive vice president of sports programming Suzanne Prete said in a separate statement, “As host of Wheel of Fortune, Pat delights millions of viewers.” across the United States for an incredible 40 years. We are so grateful and incredibly proud to have him.” Pat as our host all these years and we look forward to celebrating his outstanding contribution throughout the coming seasons. “According to Prete, Sajak” has agreed to continue as a consultant on the event for three years after hosting last year’s event, so we’re glad he’s staying close to the Wheel of Fortune family!”
News of Sajak’s exit comes almost 40 years after he and host Vanna White first starred on the late-night Wheel of Fortune. (Sajak had previously hosted the daytime show for seven years, but left in 1989 to pursue a career as a talk show host. The daytime version of Wheel of Fortune was ultimately canceled in 1991.)
Over the years, Sajak rarely missed a record. He famously switched places with White on a November 1996 episode—his gum disease prevented him from hosting the bonus round—and he again stepped down from his hosting duties. it was the first time since 1983 that Vanna Speaks a writer had hosted a solo show.
In recent years, Sajak has indicated that he is ready to retire from Wheel of Fortune. “The years fly by quickly,” he told Entertainment Tonight in 2022. “We are getting closer to the end.” At that point he added, “We won’t be doing this for another 40 years. The end is near.”
