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It’s been an incredible run for “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak, but it’s coming to an end.
Mr. Sajak, 77, will retire from the network’s Hangman-style puzzle game show on Friday after 41 seasons and 8,010 episodes, according to local listings, making him the show’s longest-running host, as recognized by the Guinness World Records.
Since 1981, Sajak, with his dry sense of humor, has helmed “Wheel of Fortune,” which has become a worldwide hit thanks in part to the star power of his co-hosts, the famous Letterman and Vanna White.
“It was a great show, no question,” said Ron Simon, curator of the Paley Center for Media. “For more than 40 years, Pat visited homes across America every night, bringing humor and friendship. Pat and Vanna became part of the family. The days of the game show were over.”
Watch Vanna WhiteTearful farewell to ‘Wheel of Fortune’s’ Pat Sajak: ‘We love you, Pat!’
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The outgoing hosts recorded farewell videos for viewers for their shows on Friday, but Mr. Sajak eschewed a farewell media tour, giving his only exit interview to his daughter, Maggie Sajak, who joined the show as a social correspondent in 2021. In the interview, posted to the “Wheel of Fortune” media site, Mr. Sajak called his tenure “very satisfying.”
“This announcement was made a long time ago, almost a year ago, so I’ve had time to get used to it and feel a little sad,” Sajak told her daughter. “I’ve been enjoying it, soaking it all up and reflecting on what an amazing ride it’s been.”
The Army veteran reminisced about his career and recounted his time hosting an Armed Forces Radio morning show (with the traditional greeting, “Good morning, Vietnam!”) during the Vietnam War.
How did Pat Sajak get his start hosting Wheel of Fortune?
Mr. Sajak bounced around TV jobs in the 1970s from Nashville, Tennessee, to Los Angeles, where, as a witty weatherman at KNBC, he impressed game-show impresario Merv Griffin, creator of “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel.”
Mr. Griffin had pushed Mr. Sajak to take over NBC’s “Wheel” after host Chuck Woolery left the show in a contract dispute in 1981. Mr. Griffin’s choice came despite strong objections from the network, his son, Tony Griffin, recalled in a 2010 television interview.
“My dad said, ‘Contractually, we can cancel the show unless we hire Pat Sajak,'” Tony Griffin said. “The next day, they hired Pat Sajak.”
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Sajak, 35, made his first appearance on “Wheel” with co-host Susan Stafford on Dec. 28, 1981. “Please don’t adjust your set at home. Chuck Woolally is not shrinking,” Sajak told viewers. “I was lucky enough to stumble onto the set of a hit show.”
Sajak did not have high hopes for the show, which had low ratings, and thought it would probably last only two years. But Wheel began to gain momentum. White replaced Stafford in 1982, and the following year the show began syndication in the early evenings on local stations.
“And here I am, 41 years later,” Sajak said in an interview. “It’s been a strange journey.”
It became part of the contestants’ everyday vocabulary, with regular requests to Sajak to “buy vowels.” “Before we knew it, we had become more than a popular show. We had become part of pop culture,” Sajak recalls.
Pat Sajak parodied on South Park and SNL
Sajak, White and “Wheel of Fortune” have been parodied on everything from Comedy Central’s “South Park” to NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” to Nickelodeon’s “Rugrats,” the latter in which Sajak himself provided the voice. The witty host even became famous enough to host a short-lived late-night talk show on CBS, “The Pat Sajak Show,” from January 1989 to April 1990.
In the internet age, Mr. Sajak has regularly made news inadvertently for his sometimes awkward interactions with guests. The National Review contributor has courted controversy by revealing his right-wing views and posting social media posts by a global warming denier.
But Sajak leaves “Wheel of Fortune” with a substantial fortune – his salary estimated by Forbes magazine at $15 million in 2016 – and he remains perplexed by the secret behind the show’s longevity.
“If I knew, I would have made other shows with the same secret and gotten very rich,” Sajak said in the interview, before adding, “Yeah, right… I’m just kidding.”
Who will take over from Pat Sajak on Wheel of Fortune?
The show will go on. ABC’s primetime show “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” is planning to return with a new season, with an eye on the possibility of Sajak and White hosting again. Meanwhile, White will remain on “Wheel of Fortune” and Ryan Seacrest will replace Sajak in September. Seacrest, 49, who also hosts ABC’s “American Idol,” was just 7 years old when Sajak began hosting “Wheel.”
“I am truly honored to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak,” Seacrest said on Instagram last September. “I can’t wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and work with the great Vanna White.”
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