Pat Sajak, who has hosted the classic game show Wheel of Fortune for four decades, is retiring from the job.
Sajak announced that the 2023-2024 season, which begins airing in September, will be his final as host, according to a statement he released on Twitter today.
“It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all,” he wrote.
Sajak, 76, has been hosting the hit syndicated game show since 1983, and hosted a daytime version of the game from 1981 to 1989, making him one of the longest running game show hosts in TV history.
In 2019, he set the record for longest-running host of any game show, breaking Bob Barker’s previous record of 35 years hosting The Price Is Right.
He won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host three times out of 19 nominations.
After his long tenure as host, Sajak is synonymous with Wheel of Fortune, alongside his co-host Vanna White who has been on the show since 1982.
A successor for Sajak has not been announced.
Sajak’s retirement marks the end of an era for game show fans. He is the oldest and longest-serving game show host on American TV, a distinction he has held alone since the death of longtime Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek in 2020.
Wheel of Fortune will never be the same without Pat Sajak, but we wish him the best on his upcoming retirement after 40 great years as host.
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