After over 40 years, Pat Sajak will be ending his run as host of Wheel of Fortune following the 2023-24 season, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
What’s Happening:
- Pat Sajak has been synonymous with the incredibly popular Wheel of Fortune since the show first launched on NBC in 1981.
- Moving to syndication in 1983, the show remains one of the most popular on all of broadcast TV, averaging better than 9 million daily viewers most weeks.
- Sajak has won three Daytime Emmy Awards for outstanding game show host and received a lifetime achievement award, along with Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, at the 2011 Daytime Emmys.
- Although the 41st season will be Sajak’s last hosting, he will continue to serve as a consultant for three additional years.
- Sajak and Vanna White also host ABC’s primetime Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, which is slated to begin its fourth season in the fall.
- There’s no timeline yet for naming a new host.
What They’re Saying:
- Pat Sajak said in a statement: “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. (If nothing else, it’ll keep the clickbait sites busy!)”
- Suzanne Prete, Executive VP, Game Shows at Sony Pictures Television: “As the host of Wheel of Fortune, Pat has entertained millions of viewers across America for 40 amazing years. 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. Pat has agreed to continue as a consultant on the show for three years following his last year hosting, so we’re thrilled to have him remaining close to the Wheel of Fortune family.”