Pat Sajak.
Pat Sajak has marked a date to bid farewell toWheel of Fortune.
His final episode will also be the season 41 finale, aptly titled “Thanks for the Memories,” perRotten Tomatoes. It is set to air one year after he announced his departure.
Vanna White and Pat Sajak on Dec. 3, 2020.Ricky Middlesworth/ABC via Getty
Ricky Middlesworth/ABC via Getty
Reps forWheel of Fortunedid not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Sajakrevealed last Junethat he would end his decades-long job as the program’s host, which he began in 1981 when the show still aired on daytime television.
“Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last,” he wrote onX (formerly Twitter)at the time. “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!)”
Vanna White, Sajak’s longtime cohost, told PEOPLE in October 2023 thatshe considered leavingthe show with him.
“It’s like, ‘Well, wait, if you’re leaving, what am I going to do? How can I stay without you?’ It was a very hard decision for me to make, because it definitely crossed my mind,” White, 67, said. “It’s like, ‘I just don’t know if I can do this without you,’ but I thought about it and I’m not ready to retire, so I am staying on.”
While White is set to remain on the show through the 2025-26 season,Ryan Seacrestwill step into Sajak’s shoes as host.
“I’m looking forward to my final season starting this fall, and then handing over the car keys to Ryan Seacrest in September of 2024,“wrote Sajak on Twitterafter Sony announced theAmerican Idolhost, 49, would fill the role.
Vanna White and Pat Sajak hosting ‘Wheel of Fortune’ in 1982.Courtesy Sony Pictures Entertainment
Of his new job, Seacrest said on Instagram that he’s “truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak.” The television presenter called the opportunity a “full circle moment,” as one of his first gigs was hosting the 1997 game showClick.
“I can’t wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White,” he continued.
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Wheel of Fortuneairs weekdays in syndication (check local listings).
source: people.com
