Pat Sajak Retirement: How Long Has He Been Hosting ‘Wheel of Fortune’?
Big changes are coming to one of the most iconic game shows in American television history. Wheel of Fortune’s Pat Sajak has announced his retirement. He will step down from his role as host after the 2023-24 season.
“Well, the time has come,” Sajak, 76, shared in a June 12 tweet. “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.”
“Thank you to the best host in the biz,” read a message from the show’s Twitter account. “Wheel of Fortune would not be what it is today without you, Pat. Looking forward to Season 41 being better than ever!
Pat Sajak began hosting ‘Wheel of Fortune’ in 1981
Sajak’s Wheel of Fortune career began more than four decades ago. He started hosting the daytime version of the game show in 1981, following the departure of original host Chuck Woolery, who’d helmed the show since its premiere in 1975. Sajak has hosted the syndicated nighttime version of the show since its debut in 1983.
Sajak was born and raised in Chicago. He got his start in broadcasting at a small local station. Later, he joined the Army, where he worked as an announcer for Armed Forces Vietnam Network in Saigon. In an essay for the USO, he recalled delivering the famous “Good morning, Vietnam” sign-on popularized by Adrian Cronauer, the DJ who was later portrayed by Robin Williams in the hit 1987 movie.
Once he returned to the U.S., Sajak worked at a radio station in Murray, Kentucky, and as a staff announced at WSM-TV in Nashville. In 1977, he joined KNBC in Los Angeles as a weatherman. That led to his gig hosting Wheel.
“The nice thing about working in local TV in LA is that decision-makers are watching you every night,” he pointed out in his bio on the Wheel of Fortune website.
Pat Sajak previously hinted he was thinking about retirement
Sajak’s retirement won’t come as a huge surprise to those who’ve been following the show.
”In most television shows by this time, you would have said, ‘That’s probably enough,’ but this show will not die,” Sajak said in a 2022 interview with ET.
“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,” he added. “…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.”
Sony Pictures Television, which produces Wheel of Fortune, has not announced who will replace Sajak as host.
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