Wheel of Fortune’s Pat Sajak set to retire after 41 seasons as host
Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak has announced that he will retire after more than 40 years at the helm of the iconic gameshow.
Writing on Twitter, Sajak said: "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."
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He took over as host back in 1981, replacing the show's original presenter Chuck Woolery, and overtook The Price Is Right's Bob Barker as the longest-serving of a gameshow back in 2018.
Along the way, Sajak has won three Emmys and a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award. The show itself has given out $250 million in prizes, and still attracts 10,000 applications a year and 26 million weekly viewers.
He isn't departing the show completely, however, with Sony Pictures Television's executive vice president Suzanne Prete stating (via BBC News): "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."
No replacement host has been announced at the current time, and it's also unknown if Vanna White, who has been the co-host since 1983, will be departing as well.
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Wheel of Fortune isn't the only major gameshow to lose a long-running host in recent years, as Jeopardy! had to look for a new host after Alex Trebek sadly passed away in 2020.
The Big Bang Theory's Mayim Bialik and 2004's winning player Ken Jennings currently share hosting duties (although Bialik stopped filming the latest season early to join the writers in striking).
Meanwhile, Stephen Fry has been announced as host of the long-awaited UK version of Jeopardy!.
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