‘Wheel of Fortune’ Host Pat Sajak To Retire After 41st Season

Lynette Rice
·2 min read
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Pat Sajak is just about done watching the wheel spin: The longtime Wheel of Fortune host announced that he is retiring from the syndicated game show next season.

“Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last,” Sajak said in a statement obtained by Deadline. “It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. If nothing else, it’ll keep the clickbait sites busy!”

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Sajak and longtime colleague Vanna White signed contract extensions in 2021 that take them through next season. He has hosted Wheel of Fortune since 1981 and has won three Emmys for his work, not counting the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award he received from the TV Academy. He originally was recruited by creator Merv Griffin to take over for the outgoing Chuck Woolery, having already hosted two unscripted game pilots called Press Your Luck and Puzzlers.

There was a time when Sajak did double duty at the wheel; in the ’80s he hosted a daytime version on NBC and a syndicated version in the evening. When the show hit its 36th in 2018, Sajak became the longest-running host of any game show, surpassing The Price Is Right‘s Bob Barker.

Last year, Sajak was asked during an interview for Entertainment Tonight about when he’d like to leave the show that made him a star. “I’d like to leave before people tune in, look at me and say, ‘Ooh, what happened to him?'”

“I wouldn’t bet on seeing us in 10 years,” he said of himself and White.

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“As the host of Wheel of Fortune, Pat has entertained millions of viewers across America for 40 amazing years,” said Suzanne Prete, EVP Game Shows at Sony Pictures Television. “We are incredibly grateful and proud to have had Pat as our host for all these years, and we look forward to celebrating his outstanding career throughout the upcoming season. Pat has agreed to continue as a consultant on the show for three years following his last year hosting, so we’re thrilled to have him remaining close to the Wheel of Fortune family.”

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