Pat Sajak, the smooth-talking, quick-witted former L.A. weatherman and standup comedian, formally ends his iconic 41-season, 8,000-episode run as host of Wheel of Fortune Friday, with the broadcast airing of this season's final installment.
Sajak, 77, announced a year ago that this concluding season would be his last as host of the Sony Pictures Television-produced game show, which is distributed domestically by CBS Media Ventures and internationally by CBS parent company Paramount Global.
“Well, the time has come to say goodbye. I have a few thanks and acknowledgments before I go. And I want to start with all of you watching out there. It’s been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes night after night, year after year, decade after decade,” Sajak said in an interstitial released by the production this past week.
Wheel of Fortune and its sibling game show, Jeopardy!, have been among the most consistently profitable enterprises in television history, with each reliably generating $100 million annually for producer Sony alone.
But the show, which has run since 1975, with Sajak joining in 1981, will go one, with Ryan Seacrest taking over as host next season.
Sajak's longtime sidekick, Vanna White, is signed to remain with Wheel through the 2025-26 TV season.
