Pat Sajak has revealed that he might leave Wheel of Fortune after season 40 comes to an end. He’s been the host of the game show for more than 40 years, and has signaled that the “end is near.”
“Years go by fast. We’re getting near the end. It’s been a long [time]. We’re not going to do this for another 40 years. The end is near,” Sajak told Entertainment Tonight. “It’s an honor to have been in people’s living rooms for that long. People were out there welcoming us. We’re happy and proud.”
Will Pat Sajak leave ‘Wheel of Fortune’?
The game show first premiered on television in 1975 and Sajak began hosting in 1981. Vanna White would then join in by 1982. Despite the news of Sajak possibly leaving the game show days behind, both he and White have renewed their contracts through the 2023-24 season, so he won’t be leaving just yet.
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“In most television shows by this time, you would have said, ‘That’s probably enough,’ but this show will not die,” Sajak says. “It appears I may go before the show,” he added as a joke.
His daughter Maggie also has a role on the show, acting as the show’s social media coordinator and handling a lot of the behind-the-scenes interviews. Additionally, despite Sajak’s consideration of leaving the show, he and White still plan to host Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. The show is heading into its third season.
“I think people love seeing celebrities and watching them be themselves and not play a character,” White says. “When they come on here, they are themselves, they have a good time, they’re playing for a great cause, so it’s good for everybody.”
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