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Pat Sajak, left, and Vanna White, from "Wheel of Fortune," attend a ceremony honoring Harry Friedman with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on Nov. 1, 2019. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
Vanna White, left, and Pat Sajak make an appearance at Radio City Music Hall for a taping of celebrity week on "Wheel of Fortune" in New York on Sept. 29, 2007. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, file)
Pat Sajak, a Washington Capitals season ticket holder, introduces the players for the Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights before Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Saturday, June 2, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Pat Sajak, left, and Vanna White appear aboard the Wheel of Fortune Express in Miami on Feb. 12, 1987 to tour 33 cities from Miami to Washington, DC. (AP Photo/Judy Sloan, File)
Vanna White, left, and Pat Sajak display "The Wheel of Fortune" cake, in celebration of its 4,000th show. "Wheel" marked its 4,000th show Monday, Nov. 10, 2003. (AP Photo/Steve Crise)
Vanna White and Pat Sajak enter the stage during the Wheel of Fortune taping at the Venetian Sands Expo Friday July 17, 2009. White is wearing a "Camille Flawless" gown. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Vanna White, left, and Pat Sajak are seen during taping of "The Wheel of Fortune," at New York's Radio City Music Hall. "Wheel" marked its 4,000th show Monday, Nov. 10, 2003. (AP Photo/Steve Crise)
Pat Sajak on the set of "Wheel of Fortune." (courtesy)
Pat Sajak, left, and Ryan Seacrest. Seacrest will become the new “Wheel of Fortune” host after Pat Sajak’s retirement. (AP Photo)
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By Kaitlyn Huamani The Associated Press
June 7, 2024 - 5:00 am
Updated June 7, 2024 - 7:54 pm
LOS ANGELES — After 41 years and over 8,000 episodes, Pat Sajak made his final turn as the renowned host of “Wheel of Fortune” on Friday.
The season 41 finale, dubbed the “Thanks for the memories” show, opened on Friday with a clip from Sajak’s first episode as the host of “Wheel of Fortune” in 1981 and closed with Sajak’s warm message of gratitude.
In his farewell message, Sajak thanked the viewers of the beloved game show for granting him the “incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes, night after night, year after year, decade after decade.”
Sajak, 77, also gave a heartfelt thanks to his “professional other half,” Vanna White, who has co-hosted with him for over 40 years and delivered her emotional tribute to Sajak a day earlier.
“We’ve seen a lot of changes in each other’s lives over the years, but we’ve always been there for each other,” he said. “I will miss our nightly closes and her laughter and her good nature. She’s a very special woman.”
Expressing gratitude
Among the many thanks and shoutouts Sajak offered during the final episode before his retirement, he said the crew and staff, some of whom have been working on the show as long as he has, were a “joy” to work with. “Your skills and dedication and good humor made this a place I always wanted to be,” he added.
Sajak thanked one staff member by name: his daughter Maggie. She began working as the show’s social correspondent in 2021 and he said their collaboration has been the “best part of the last couple of years.” Sajak also mentioned his son, Patrick, and his wife, Lesly, and said that he is “blessed” to have his family.
The famed host also said that the “real stars of the show” have been the contestants who competed for cash and luxury prizes throughout the decades of the show’s run. He called them “kind and considerate,” noting that they always “took great pride in talking about their family, their hometown, their friends, their schools, their jobs, even their pets.”
Reflecting on the show’s massive reach, Sajak noted that he always found it important to keep the daily half-hour show a “safe place for family fun,” excluding any social issues or political topics from the banter he shared with contestants and White. He said he wanted to keep the show “just a game,” before noting that to many, it became a part of their daily lives.
“Gradually, it became more than that,” Sajak continued. “A place where kids learned their letters, where people from other countries honed their English skills, where families came together along with friends and neighbors and entire generations. What an honor to have played even a small part in all that.”
Sajak’s closed out his message with a crack about how viewers could still see more of him through reruns of the show during its summer break. “The jokes will be the same, but I’d appreciate it if you’d laugh anyway,” he quipped before saying a final goodbye.
‘True lifelong friend’
To make time for his closing message, Sajak truncated the game by cutting out a round. He said he wanted to ensure the competition was still fair for contestants Tammi, Adrienne and Nino, so Sajak spun the wheel himself and added to their totals. While he initially said he’d add $1,000 to the prize money the wheel landed on, he bumped the bonus up to $5,000 for each person after noting that it wasn’t his money he was allocating. “Little Jimmy’s surgery can wait,” he joked.
During her tribute on Thursday, White called Sajak “like a brother” and a “true lifelong friend.” In the pre-recorded video that featured clips and photos of their decades as co-workers, she added that their personal friendship has meant even more than their professional collaboration.
Sajak announced in June 2023 that he would retire from his hosting duties at the end of the show’s 41st season, with Ryan Seacrest set to succeed him. White will stay on as Seacrest’s co-host through the 2025-2026 season, based on a contract extension she signed in September.
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