Wheel of Fortune audiences came out in droves to bid farewell to Pat Sajak earlier this month.
07.06.2024 - 15:11 / deadline.com
After more than four decades, Pat Sajak has bid farewell to Wheel of Fortune. The longtime host expressed his gratitude to viewers Friday in his final episode on the game show.
“I have a few thanks and acknowledgements before I go. And I want to start with all of you watching out there,” Sajak said on the set of the show. “It’s been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes, night after night, year after year, decade after decade. And I always felt that the privilege came with the responsibility to keep this daily half-hour a safe place for family fun. No social issues. No politics. Nothing embarrassing, I hope. Just a game. But gradually it became more than that.”
“A place where kids learned their letters, where people from other countries honed their English skills, where families came together along with friends and neighbors, and entire generations.”
He added: “What an honor to play even a small part in all of that. Thank you for allowing me into your lives.”
Sajak announced in June 2023 that he was ready to retire as host from the syndicated game show, and Season 41 would be his last. He agreed to stay on as a consultant on the show for three years following his final year hosting, said Suzanne Prete, EVP Game Shows at Sony Pictures Television, when Sajak announced his retirement.
A week after Sajak announced his retirement, it was revealed that Ryan Seacrest would be taking over as host in Season 42. Seacrest also will serve as consulting producer on the show.
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Wheel of Fortune audiences came out in droves to bid farewell to Pat Sajak earlier this month.
Pat Sajak has officially handed off “Wheel of Fortune” to Ryan Seacrest in a new promo. The famed host’s final episode of the iconic game show aired on June 7.“Well, this is it, Ryan. What do you think?” Sajak, 77, says in the clip as he gives Seacrest, 49, a tour of the studio with Vanna White.“Impressive, Pat,” Seacrest replies.“Ryan, I know the contestants are going to love you,” White, 67, chimes in.As Sajak announced his retirement in June 2023, White extended her contract through the 2025-26 season.
Zack Sharf Digital News Director Pat Sajak has officially passed his “Wheel of Fortune” hosting baton to Ryan Seacrest in a new promo for the long-running game show that touts Seacrest’s hosting debut this fall. Sajak signed off as “Wheel of Fortune” host after more than 40 years on June 7.
Pat Sajak has officially handed off Wheel of Fortune hosting duties to Ryan Seacrest. The longtime host, whose final episode aired Friday, June 7, has welcomed Seacrest to the game show, alongside co-host Vanna White. You can watch the promo above.
record-breaking four decades hosting “Wheel of Fortune,” Pat Sajak already has his next gig lined up.Although Sajak, 77, said that he’s stepping back from the long-running game show to retire, he’s set to be in a play at the Hawaii Theatre Center in Honolulu, for a community theater production called “Prescription: Murder.” Sajak will play a psychiatrist who hatches a murder plot. Sajak’s friend, local KHON newscaster Joe Moore, will play the lead detective.The mystery-themed play will be on the Hawaii Theatre Center’s main stage.“Pat has a good relationship with [co-star] Joe Moore; Their friendship spans since the military days,” Hawaii Theatre Manager Justin Jenks told the U.S. Sun in an article published Monday.
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emotional tribute to Pat Sajak on Instagram after Sajak’s final episode hosting “Wheel of Fortune” aired Friday.Seacrest, 49, is taking over for Sajak, 77, in September. His Instagram post featured a photo and a soundless video clip of the pair and letter-turner Vanna White spending time together on the game show’s set.“Pat, congratulations on an incredible run with ‘Wheel of Fortune!’ ” Seacrest wrote.
Ryan Seacrest is honoring Pat Sajak.
Ryan Seacrest paid tribute to Pat Sajak today on social media following the broadcast of Sajak’s final episode as host of Wheel of Fortune.
The contestants on Pat Sajak‘s final episode of Wheel of Fortune were all gifted some extra money!
Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Pat Sajak signed off of “Wheel of Fortune” on Friday evening after more than 40 years as host, telling viewers with a slight catch in his voice that he was grateful for the “incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes night after night.” The half-hour episode, recorded on April 5, was largely a regular telecast of the syndicated show with a few extra touches including Sajak’s four-minute farewell, or what he described as “a few parting thoughts.” But it opened with a clip of Sajak’s first appearance as host back in 1981, when the show aired on NBC’s daytime schedule before shifting to first-run syndication through King World Productions (which was acquired by CBS in 2000) in the fall of 1983. In the 1981 clip, the voice-over announcer introduces Sajak as the replacement for former host Chuck Woolery, who went on to host the dating game show “The Love Connection.” “Please do not adjust your sets at home,” Sajak told the audience in 1981.
Pat Sajak bid farewell to “Wheel of Fortune” Friday night after hosting the legendary game show for more than 8,000 episodes across 41 seasons. The episode featured footage from Sajak’s 1981 debut, and revealed “Chicago, Illinois” as the first puzzle answer — a possible nod to his hometown. A round was cut from the program to make room for Sajak’s goodbye message, but he gave each contestant $5,000 to make up for it.“Well, the time has come to say goodbye,” Sajak said on-air.
Pat Sajak, 77, ends his legendary run – spanning over four decades – hosting “Wheel of Fortune” on June 7.Sajak makes history as the longest-running host of any game show (beating Bob Barker, who hosted “The Price Is Right” for a 35 year tenure, from 1972 to 2007). Sajak told USA today about “Wheel of Fortune,” that the show is “sort of a safe-haven half-hour where nobody gets hurt, and everybody has fun.
host Pat Sajak has captivated viewers with his charismatic charm, quick wit and overall likable demeanor. Now, years after he created “a perfect storm” with the show, he’s taking one last spin and saying goodbye.Sajak became one of the most beloved television hosts in game show history, with one expert telling Fox News Digital his appeal is “like humidity.
Vanna White is bidding her pal farewell.
Pat Sajak is signing off.The “Wheel of Fortune” host bid an emotional goodbye to viewers in a video shared hours before his final episode of the game show airs on Friday.The famed host, 77, stood on set of the ABC show as he addressed loyal fans directly in the camera.“Well, the time has come to say goodbye,” he began. “I have a few thanks and acknowledgments before I go, and I want to start with all of you watching out there. It’s been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes night after night, year after year, decade after decade.”“And I’ve always felt like the privilege came with the responsibility to keep this daily half hour a safe place for family fun,” he went on.
J. Kim Murphy It was all just a game at first to Pat Sajak, but then it became something much more meaningful. The longtime “Wheel of Fortune” host’s final episode heading the game show airs in just a few hours — and the production has released a first look preview ahead of the broadcast, in which Sajak expresses gratitude to his audience.
Pat Sajak assumed that he and Vanna White would retire together, but that won’t be the case when he takes his final bow on “Wheel of Fortune” when his last episode airs on Friday.Back in 2019, Sajak predicted that he and the famed letter-turner, 67, would walk of the ABC stage together.“There’s a pretty good chance that when one of us leaves, we’ll both leave, because it would be odd for either of us to work with somebody else,” he said, per USA Today. “I always say that I want to leave while the show is still popular and before people tune in and say, ‘Ooh, what happened to him?'”“I’m not quite there yet, but I don’t know,” he added at the time.
Vanna White is saying goodbye to her Wheel of Fortune co-star Pat Sajak!
The Wheel of Fortune stops spinning for longtime host Pat Sajak tomorrow, when his final show airs. But retirement is not in the offing.