Pat Sajak to Retire From WHEEL OF FORTUNE After 41 Years
By Movieguide® Contributor
Longtime WHEEL OF FORTUNE host Pat Sajak announced that he is retiring from the show at the end of the next season.
“Well, the time has come. 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,” Sajak said via Twitter.
Sajak took over the show in 1981 from Chuck Woolery who had hosted for the show’s first 6 years. In the 40 years since he took over, WHEEL OF FORTUNE has become a television mainstay and one of the longest continually running televised gameshows.
“As the host of WHEEL OF FORTUNE, Pat has entertained millions of viewers across America for 40 amazing years,” executive vice-president of gameshows for Sony Pictures Television, Suzanne Prete, said. “We are incredibly grateful and proud to have had Pat as our host for all these years and we look forward to celebrating his outstanding career throughout the upcoming season.”
Following his retirement, Sajak will serve as a WHEEL OF FORTUNE consultant for at least three years before he fully departs from the show.
Movieguide® previously reported on WHEEL OF FORTUNE:
Melissa Joan Hart made WHEEL OF FORTUNE history by winning the $1 million grand prize, becoming only the fourth person in the show’s history to win the card.
“I would like to say witchcraft was involved,” Hart joked, referencing her role in SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH. “But to be honest, I prayed a lot more than any kind of sorcery. I literally prayed every round, especially that winning round. I’d close my eyes and say, ‘God, give me focus and calm and let me just read these letters.’”
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