WASHINGTON — Longtime "Wheel of Fortune" host Pat Sajak is closing a chapter this week as he bids farewell to the game show after more than four decades.
Sajak's last show will air on Friday, June 7, bringing the host's farewell season to a close.
The game show host announced in June 2023 that Season 41, which will wrap on Friday, would be his last. The farewell episode was taped back on April 5.
"It's been a wonderful ride, and I'll have more to say in the coming months," Sajak said in a statement at the time. "Many thanks to you all."
Sajak, 77, has presided over the game show, which features contestants guessing letters to try to fill out words and phrases to win money and prizes, since 1981. He took over duties from Chuck Woolery, who was the show's first host when it debuted in 1975.
Sajak has won three Daytime Emmy Awards for outstanding game show host and received a lifetime achievement award in 2011 with "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek.
Is Vanna White leaving 'Wheel of Fortune'?
Sajak's longtime co-host Vanna White, who joined the syndicated show in 1982, will continue her game show duties until at least 2026.
Months after Sajak's retirement announcement, it was confirmed that White extended her contract for two more years. She will remain on the wordplay game show through the 2025-2026 season.
In an interview with People magazine last October, White revealed that she considered leaving the show with Sajak.
“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 told the outlet. "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.”
Who is replacing Pat Sajak on 'Wheel of Fortune'?
Following Sajak's departure, White and Ryan Seacrest will lead the popular syndicated game show.
Sony Pictures Television announced last year that Seacrest signed a multiyear deal to host the long-running game show starting with Season 42, which will air this fall.
"I'm truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak," Seacrest said in a statement at the time. "I can say, along with the rest of America, that it's been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them."
The show tapes in Southern California, where Seacrest also hosts a popular nationally syndicated morning drivetime radio show. In February 2023, Seacrest announced he would leave the New York-based TV morning show "Live with Kelly and Ryan" after six years. Kelly Ripa now hosts that show with her husband Mark Consuelos.
"Wheel of Fortune" remains one of the most popular programs on network television, averaging millions of daily viewers and a maintaining a passionate fan base.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
