WHEEL of Fortune host Pat Sajak revealed the real reason he’s retiring early and leaving the game show.
Ahead of its final episode on Friday, Good Morning America shared footage of the game show host throughout his 40-year career.
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At the rewind clipsPat, 77, appeared when she was younger with co-host Vanna White, 67,
During the nearly four-minute segment, 29-year-old Maggie Sajak — social media correspondent for Wheel of Fortune — interviewed her father about his early retirement.
Pat believed he should leave “a few years too early rather than a few years too late.”
“Could I still do this?” he asked his daughter.
“Yes, I think I can for a while.”
“There are also other things in life we would like to do,” Pat continued.
“I’m enjoying the past year. It’s been an incredible 40 years.”
“I’m looking forward to what’s to come,” he concluded.
Pat also shared that he would be happy to live out his retirement doing “crosswords and playing with his grandchildren.”
“Tip. Tip. Tip. No pressure,” he joked.
Maggie burst into laughter as she smiled at the camera.
In addition to Maggie, Pat shares his son, Patrick, with his wife, Lesly Brown.
Like his sister, Patrick has no children to play with their grandfather.
‘THANKS’
At the end of the interview, Maggie burst into tears as she said her father turned the show into a gift.
Wheel of Fortune Host Timeline
Although Pat and Vanna have been a fixture on the game show for decades, there have been other hosts
Chuck Woolery was the host from 1975 to 1981
He co-hosted alongside Susan Stafford (1975 to 1982)
Vanna White took over as host in 1982 and has been since then.
After a contract and salary dispute, the show got rid of Chuck and brought back Pat in 1982.
Pat hosted Susan for a season
He then left the game show in 1989 to host a late-night talk show for CBS.
For five months, NFL player Rolf Benirschke took his place
In July 1989, Bob Goen hosted the show on CBS
He hosted for a year and a half until the show was canceled in 1991
The show was then moved to ABC, with Pat and Vanna hosting for the foreseeable future.
In 2023, Pat announced his retirement and Ryan Seacrest was quickly named his replacement
“You turned what could have just been Hangman into a cultural phenomenon, so thank you,” she gasped.
“You’ve had an amazing 40+ years.”
Pat hugged her daughter as she wiped away her tears.
SMALL AND BIG CHANGES
He first announced his retirement in June 2023, following the end of season 40.
His final episode of Wheel of Fortune will air on June 7th at 7:30pm on ABC.
Although Pat is retiring, Vanna will remain as co-host for longtime fans.
Fans are eager for Maggie to replace Vanna, but that hasn’t been confirmed.
American Idol host Ryan Seacrest, 29, is set to begin hosting Wheel of Fortune in September 2024, according to Deadline.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
