LOS ANGELES – After 41 years and more than 8,000 episodes, Pat Sajak made his latest turn as the renowned host of “Wheel of Fortune” on Friday.
The season 41 finale, dubbed the “Thanks for the Memories” show, began with a clip from Sajak’s first episode as host of “Wheel of Fortune” in 1981 and ended with Sajak’s warm message of gratitude.
In his farewell message, Sajak thanked viewers of the beloved game show for granting him the “incredible privilege of being invited into millions of homes, night after night, year after year, decade after decade.”
Sajak, 77, also sincerely thanked his “professional other half,” Vanna White, who has co-hosted with him for more than 40 years, and handed her moving tribute to Sajak one day earlier.
“We’ve seen a lot of changes in each other’s lives over the years, but we’ve always been there for each other,” he said. “I will miss our nightly closings, your laughter and your good nature. She is a very special woman.”
Among the many thanks and thanks Sajak offered during the final episode before his retirement, he said that the crew and staff, some of whom have worked on the show for so long, were a “joy” to work with. “His skills, dedication and good humor made this a place I always wanted to be,” he added.
Sajak thanked one team member by name: his daughter Maggie. She began working as the show’s social correspondent in 2021 and he said their collaboration was the “best part of the last few years.” Sajak also mentioned his son, Patrick, and his wife, Lesly, and said he is “blessed” to have their family.
The famous host also said that the “real stars of the show” were the contestants who competed for prize money and luxury throughout the show’s decades-long run. He called them “kind and thoughtful,” noting that they always “took great pride in talking about their family, their hometown, their friends, their schools, their jobs, and even their pets.”
Reflecting on the show’s enormous reach, Sajak noted that he always felt it was important to keep the daily half-hour show a “safe place for family fun,” excluding any social issues or political topics from the banter he shared with contestants and White. He said he wanted to keep the show “just a game,” before noting that for many, it has become part of their daily lives.
“Gradually, it became more than that,” Sajak continued. “A place where children learned their letters, where people from other countries perfected their English, where families met with friends and neighbors and entire generations. What an honor to have played a small role in all of this.”
Sajak ended his message with a joke about how viewers could still see more of him through reruns of the show during the summer holidays. “The jokes will be the same, but I would appreciate it if you laughed anyway,” he joked before saying goodbye for the last time.
To allow time for his final message, Sajak shortened the game by cutting a round. He said he wanted to make sure the competition was still fair for contestants Tammi, Adrienne, and Nino, so Sajak spun the wheel himself and added up the total. Although he initially said he would add $1,000 to the prize money the wheel stopped on, he increased the bonus to $5,000 for each person after noting that it wasn’t his money he was allocating. “Little Jimmy’s surgery can wait,” he joked.
During your tribute on Thursday, White called Sajak “like a brother” and a “true friend for life.” In the pre-recorded video that featured clips and photos from their decades as co-workers, she added that personal friendship meant even more than professional collaboration.
Sajak announced in June 2023 that he would retire from his hosting duties at the end of the show’s 41st season, with Ryan Seacrest ready to succeed him. White will remain co-host of Seacrest through the 2025-2026 season, based on a contract extension she signed in September.
Seacrest paid tribute to Sajak – and White – in an Instagram post on Saturday.
“His dedication, charm and intelligence have made the show a beloved part of American television for decades. Your partnership with Vanna has been simply iconic and together you have created countless wonderful memories for viewers,” read Seacrest’s post, which included a photo and video of him, Sajak and White on the game show’s family set. “You set the standard for hosts everywhere and this marks the end of an era.”
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