After 41 Seasons On 'Wheel Of Fortune,' Pat Sajak Has Announced His Retirement: 'Now Is the Time'

Pat Sajak’s tenure as Wheel of Fortune host is coming to an end.

The 76-year-old television personality announced his retirement on Monday, following the show is forthcoming 41st season, which begins filming in September.

“All right, the time has come. “I have decided to retire after our 41st season, which begins in September,” he announced on Twitter. “It is been a fantastic ride, and I will have more to say about it in the coming months.” Thank you very much. (At the very least, it will keep the clickbait sites busy!)”

Suzanne Prete, Sony Pictures Television’s EVP of Game Shows, confirmed Sajak’s impending retirement in a statement to a source, but said that he would continue to consult on the show for the next three years.

“As the host of Wheel of Fortune for 40 incredible years, Pat has entertained millions of viewers across America,” Prete remarked. “We are grateful and proud to have had Pat as our host for all of these years, and we look forward to celebrating his outstanding career throughout the upcoming season.” Pat has volunteered to stay on as a consultant on the show for three years after his final year as a host, so we are happy to have him stay close to the Wheel of Fortune family!”

In 1981, Sajak began hosting Wheel of Fortune. In September 2022, he hinted at his retirement, saying he will probably depart the series before it is cancelled.

“Normally, by this point, you would say, ‘That is probably enough,’ but this show will not die,” Sajak told Entertainment Tonight.

“It appears that I will leave before the show,” he continued.

Sajak, who co-hosts with Vanna White, discussed his television career and the belief that nothing is designed to exist forever. “Years fly by,” Sajak observed. “We are coming close to the end. It is been a very long time. We are not going to be doing this for another 40 years. “The end is approaching.”

Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. 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!)
— Pat Sajak (@patsajak) June 12, 2023

White, for her part, informed a source in December that she was not ready to leave Wheel of Fortune.

“I am not even going to think about it.” “I mean, we are a team,” she explained. “That is disheartening. “I am not even going to think about it.”

White noted that “it’s” difficult to envisage a world without herself or Sajak anchoring the show. “I simply picture us being there. “I can not think past that,” she admitted.

However, White has “no idea” if the show will continue without them, adding, “I can not imagine.” Everyone associates Wheel of Fortune with Pat and Vanna. You know how Ken and Barbie are? We have been in everyone’s homes for 40 years, so having someone else turn my letters would be strange.”

Sajak will celebrate his hosting milestone — and four decades on network television — in December 2021. Maggie Sajak, Sajak’s daughter, paid tribute on Twitter.

“Happy 40th Wheel-iversary to this guy!” she tweeted, along with a photo of her father hosting the show in the past. “On this day in 1981, @patsajak hosted the inaugural episode of @WheelofFortune… “And the rest, as they say, is history!”

Since the 1980s, Sajak has hosted Wheel of Fortune and Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. After undergoing surgery for a blocked intestine, he took a brief break from the series in 2019. In Sajak’s absence, White took over as host.

“I am as good as new, which is great,” he said upon his return. “I am still thinking clearly. They did not get rid of it, therefore I will be selling vowels for quite some time.”

After 41 Seasons On ‘Wheel Of Fortune,’ Pat Sajak Has Announced His Retirement: ‘Now Is the Time’

Pat Sajak’s tenure as Wheel of Fortune host is coming to an end.

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