Pat Sajak, one of the most familiar faces on American television for more than four decades as the host of “Wheel of Fortune,” announced Monday that he will be retiring next year.
“The time has come,” said Mr. Sajak, 76, above Twitter. “I have decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last.”
“Wheel of Fortune” was one of the most watched aggregator shows on American television during most of Mr. Sajak’s time as host and was the most watched program in the mid-80s, when it more attractive 40 million viewers daily. It has become a pop culture phenomenon – known for the catchphrase “Can I buy a vowel?” — and launched board games, toys, clothes, and the spin-off show “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune”.
Ms Prete said Mr Sajak had agreed to continue as a consultant for three years after his final season.
It is unclear who will take over as host for Mr Sajak, a three-time Emmy Award winner and recipient of the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Vanna White, Mr. Sajak’s longtime co-host, who joined the daytime version of the show in 1982, did not post any comments on social media on Monday night. She briefly replaced Mr. Sajak in 2019when he needed an emergency surgery to fix a bowel obstruction.
While Miss White entered the name of Mr. Sajak, his daughter, Maggie Sajak, taking on Miss White’s puzzle quest. Ms. Sajak is the show’s social reporter, posting digital content.
The program created by Merv Griffin in 1975, there were contestants trying to guess the letters in word puzzles to compete for cash, of which more than $250 million has been awarded since it premiered, according to Sony.
Mr. Griffin, who died in 2007, chose Mr. Sajak to host the show in 1981, replacing Chuck Woolery, the original host.
According to the program, before participating in “The Wheel of Fortune”, Mr. Sajak worked in Los Angeles as a weather forecaster for KNBC.
According to the program, Mr. Sajak once said, “The fun thing about working on a local TV station in LA is that the decision makers are watching you every night.”
Sajak’s retirement will create a void in the TV game show that draws few parallels beyond the departure of Alex Trebek, the longtime host of “Jeopardy!,” associated with “Wheel.” ” in the corporation since Mr. Griffin revived it in 1984. Mr. Trebek passed away at the age of 80 in 2021.
Mr. Sajak was born in Chicago on October 26, 1946. After graduating from high school, Mr. Sajak attended Columbia College Chicago, and he began working for a local radio station with overnight programming from midnight to 6 a.m., according to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which awards Mr. Sajak a star in 1994.
In 1968, Sajak joined the US Army and was sent to Vietnam, where he worked on Armed Forces Radio, according to “Wheel of Fortune.” Upon returning to the state from his military service, Sajak worked for five years at a television station in Nashville, where he worked as a weather forecaster and talk show host.
He then moved to Los Angeles, where he ended up working for KNBC as a weatherman and on a Sunday talk show.
“It was a strange performance,” Sajak said in an interview. 1988 interview about his time at KNBC. “You either go to a salmon farm to interview people who have nothing to do with fish, or they send us to a Polish kielbasa festival to wage a debate between opposing sides on gun control. . It was good training, in retrospect. You learned how to tap dance.
In 1989, Mr. Sajak attempted to break into late-night television. “Pat Sajak Performance” take on Johnny Carson and David Letterman, but was canceled in 1990.
Mr Sajak has received some criticism over the years from fans of the show, who have said he can sometimes be unfair to the contestants. He also faced backlash last year when a photo went viral online of him with Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia’s far-right congresswoman.
Mr. Sajak has also had a number of guest roles in a number of TV shows and movies, such as “Muppets Haunted Mansion” and “Airplane II: The Sequel.”
During his time as host, more than 10,000 people auditioned for “The Wheel of Fortune,” according to TV Sony Picturesstudio owns it.
Suzanne Prete, the studio’s executive vice president of game shows, said in a statement Monday night that the studio is “extremely grateful and proud to have Pat as our host throughout these years.” last year.”
