Here’s who could replace him.
The category is Sad News: Pat Sajak is leaving Wheel of Fortune after the next season, after four decades of hosting the popular game show. Sajak took to Twitter on Monday to announce his departure, writing, “Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last.”
Why is Pat Sajak leaving Wheel of Fortune?
Wheel of Fortune premiered in 1975. Back then, it was a daytime show, and its first host was Chuck Woolery. But Sajak stepped in when Woolery departed in December 1981, and he’s hosted consistently since, except for 1989 and 1990, when he left to host the short-lived late-night talk series The Pat Sajak Show. The face of the iconic game show has been a staple of television for decades now, but all good things must come to an end eventually. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight last fall, the 75-year-old spoke about just how uncommon it is for someone to keep a job like this for so long.
“In most television shows, by this time you would have said, ‘That’s probably enough,’ but this show will not die,” Sajak said, before joking, “It appears I may go before the show.”
After hinting at it for a while, Sajak confirmed on Twitter that he is retiring, and while he didn’t give a specific reason, he teased, “I’ll have more to say in the coming months.” Still, his decision to leave Wheel of Fortune isn’t a total surprise, and it doesn’t seem like there was a dramatic reason behind it.
Who will replace Pat Sajak?
It seems almost unthinkable to replace Pat Sajak after over four decades on our TV screens. Looking back, a lot has changed in the world during the years Sajak’s been at the helm of Wheel, including how he and letter-reveal queen Vanna White conduct themselves during tapings. During a 2012 interview, Sajak admitted he hosted the show while under the influence on many occasions in the early days — and had a great time doing it.
“We had a different show then. We had endless time between shows. Our dinner breaks would be two-and-a-half hours long while they drove in new cars and boats and gazebos and stuff,” Sajak recalled. “So Vanna and I would go across and have two or three or six [margaritas], and then come and do the last shows, and have trouble recognizing the alphabet.”
(But you can rest assured he’s got all his wits about him these days: “Now, if I were to inhale the cork and a bottle of wine, I would probably keel over. I’m getting a little older for this,” he added.)
And while there’s been no official announcement as to who Sajak’s successor will be, there are plenty of rumors and ideas floating around. Bloomberg reports that Ryan Seacrest is in the running to take over the gig, while others have posited that Maggie Sajak, Pat’s daughter who became Wheel of Fortune‘s social correspondent in 2021, may become the host. Vanna White could also transition into the role pretty seamlessly — in 2019 when Sajak spent three weeks in the hospital after suffering from a blocked intestine, White stepped in as the temporary host.
Or maybe Wheel of Fortune will have a series of revolving celebrity hosts, like Jeopardy! did following Alex Trebek’s passing. In that case, we have a certain journalist, media company founder, and former Jeopardy! host we’d like to nominate!
