Pat Sajak Through the Years: Vintage Photos of ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Host
It’s time to give the wheel a final spin. Pat Sajak is signing off as host of Wheel of Fortune after more than 40 years on the show.
Sajak’s last episode airs on Friday, June 7. The TV icon announced his decision to retire last year. Now that the time has come to say goodbye, he’s reflecting on his legacy.
“It’s been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes, night after night, year after year, decade after decade,” he said in a farewell video (via Deadline). “And I always felt that the privilege came with the responsibility to keep this daily half-hour a safe place for family fun. No social issues. No politics. Nothing embarrassing, I hope. Just a game. But gradually it became more than that … Thank you for allowing me into your lives.”
In honor of Sajak’s final show as Wheel’s host, let’s look back at his career through the years.
Sajak, a former TV weatherman at LA’s KNBC, began hosting Wheel of Fortune in 1981. Vanna White joined the show in 1982, and the pair have worked together ever since. (White will remain as letter-turner with new host Ryan Seacrest.)
While Sajak was best known as the host of Wheel, he made many other TV appearances. In 1985, Sajak drew on his presenter skills as the host of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. In 1986, he played himself in an episode of The A-Team.
In 1989, Sajak began hosting a short-lived late-night talk show on CBS. Unlike Wheel, it wasn’t a success and was canceled after a little over a year on the air.
Sajak married his wife, Lesly Brown, a former model, in 1989. They have a son, Patrick, who is a doctor, and a daughter, Maggie, who has occasionally filled in for White as Wheel’s letter-turner.
In 2007, Sajak and White celebrated the 25th anniversary of Wheel of Fortune. “I’m at the stage in my career where I’m not looking for the next big thing,” he told Action News 5 at the time. “It would be hard to replicate this. I’m gonna do this for a few more years. Then I’ll sit on the front porch and whittle.”
In 2011, Sajak and longtime Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek were honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Daytime Emmys. Sajak has also won three Daytime Emmys for outstanding game show host.
In June 2023, Sajak took to social media to share that the upcoming season of Wheel of Fortune would be his last.
“Well, the time has come,” he wrote on Instagram. “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.”
In a farewell interview with his daughter Maggie (via YouTube), Sajak reflected on the secret to Wheel of Fortune’s longevity.
“I get that [question] a lot. You know, if I knew, I’d be out creating other shows with the same secret … I’m not quite sure. I do know that somewhere along the line, we became more than a popular show. We became part of the popular culture.”
People often approach Sajak and share their memories of the show, he said, including immigrants who used it as a way to learn English and parents who saw how it helped teach their kids the alphabet.
“We’ve become this kind of cohesive bond between people and generations and families and friends,” he said. “That’s been awfully gratifying.”
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