It's the end of an era at Wheel of Fortune. ET has confirmed that Pat Sajak will tape his final day as the famed host of the iconic game show on Friday on the Sony Studios lot in Culver City, California.
ET has also confirmed that the final episode will air on Friday, June 7. Deadline was first to report the news. Sajak, 77, will end his legendary run as host after 41 marvelous seasons. But he won't be totally gone, at least not for a while. As ET previously reported, Sajak will serve as a consultant on the game show for three years, as the show transitions with its new host, Ryan Seacrest.
It was last June when Sajak took to social media to announce that the current season would be his last.
"Well, the time has come. I've decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last," Sajak wrote at the time. "It's been a wonderful ride, and I'll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all."
Sajak ended the post by joking, "If nothing else, it'll keep the clickbait sites busy!"
Less than a month later, it was announced that Seacrest was tapped to replace Sajak.
"I'm truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak," Seacrest said in his announcement. "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."
Pat Sajak during his early days on 'Wheel of Fortune.'
Sajak has served as host of Wheel of Fortune since 1981, when he took over the position from Chuck Woolery. Sajak, who earned 19 Daytime Emmy Award nominations and earned three for Outstanding Game Show Host, shared with ET back in September 2022 that his time as host was soon coming to an end.
"In most television shows by this time, you would have said, 'That’s probably enough,' but this show will not die," he says of the game show, which premiered in 1975. "It appears I may go before the show."
"Years go by fast. We're getting near the end. It's been a long [time]. We're not gonna do this for another 40 years. The end is near," Sajak said. "It's an honor to have been in people's living rooms for that long. People were out there welcoming us. We're happy and proud."
Pat Sajak poses backstage at the 38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards show in Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 19, 2011.
ET spoke with Seacrest in September, when the American Idol host shared the advice Sajak offered him upon taking the job.
"He is a legend. I've looked up to him forever. He's so good at that job, which, you know, is a little bit of pressure here. But he just said, 'You're going to have a great time. It's so much fun. What's better than giving away money and doing that every single night?’" Seacrest said. "I can't wait to meet the contestants and do it."
Seacrest will be joined by Wheel of Fortune staple Vanna White, who in September closed on a new deal that will take her through the 2025-2026 season. White joined the show in 1982, one year after the show premiered, and she's undoubtedly synonymous with the game show.
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