A date has been set for longtime “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak’s final show. TheWrap has confirmed that it will air on Friday, June 7, which will be the Season 41 finale.
Sajak has hosted some version of the syndicated game show since 1981; the show itself launched in 1975, but he took over the daytime version in 1981 and has hosted the nighttime version since 1983. He taped his final episode hosting on Friday. He announced in June 2023 that he was planning to step down as host.
“Well, the time has come,” Sajak wrote in a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter) when first breaking the news: “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!)”
Sajak will stay on as consultant for three additional years, Sony Pictures Television EVP of Game Shows Suzanne Prete said at the time. In February, she was promoted to president of the division.
It was announced last year that Ryan Seacrest will be taking over for Sajak. “The View” cohost Whoopi Goldberg also expressed interest in the gig. “I want that job. I think it would be lots of fun,” she said when Sajak’s retirement was announcement.
The 2023-24 season will mark the end of Sajak’s 40-year tenure as host of the famed game show after hosting the syndicated iteration of the series since its nighttime debut in 1983.
The 77-year-old also helmed the daytime edition of the show from 1981-1989. The long-running series has resulted in multiple spin-offs, including “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,” which was recently renewed for Season 5 on ABC.
Over the years, Sajak has received numerous accolades for his work on the series, winning three Daytime Emmys for outstanding game show host and being nominated 19 times.
In 2019, he was recognized by the Guinness World Records for having served the longest as host of the same game show, surpassing previous record holder Bob Barker. Barker, who died in August 2023, hosted “The Price is Right” for 35 years before retiring in 2007.
