Longtime Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak will officially say farewell to the gameshow later this year.
Sajak revealed that Season 41 would be his farewell season as the show’s host.
Ryan Seacrest, 49, known for hosting American Idol, among other projects, will replace the 77-year-old Sajak, and Vanna White will return as the letter-turner.
Various outlets have confirmed that the season finale is officially Sajak’s last appearance as host.
That Season 41 finale episode is slated for Friday, June 7, 2024, as confirmed by TVLine.
Those farewell episodes were reportedly filmed earlier this week, although the nature of what they include beyond the game show itself is still unknown.
Pat Sajak set for final Wheel of Fortune appearance
According to Rotten Tomatoes, Sajak’s final appearance, Season 41, Episode 195, is called Thanks for the Memories.
This week, the Wheel of Fortune host and his friend Vanna shared some of their favorite travel memories from their many seasons.
The video presented a look at the show as it visited locations including Las Vegas, New York City, Chicago, Seattle, and Hawaii.
“It’s so much fun meeting our loyal Wheel watchers,” Pat said in the clip.
“We never take ourselves too seriously,” Vanna said as footage showed funny occasions from their travels.
Sajak previously hosted gameshow pilots for Press Your Luck and Puzzlers before joining the classic hangman game show, Wheel of Fortune. He officially joined in 1981, replacing another iconic gameshow host, Chuck Woolery, and has been with the show since.
The news that Seacrest will take over Sajak has been met with mixed emotions. Some are ready for the change. However, most have watched Sajak with Vanna as the game show’s familiar faces for years and are used to the pairing.
Fans react to Sajak’s departure from Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune fans — as one might expect — are still expressing sorrow over Sajak’s upcoming departure. In the Instagram clip’s (above) comments, many fans reacted to Sajak leaving the show later this year.
“Seeing Pat these days makes me feel weepy when thinking of his pending departure,” a commenter wrote.
“Don’t leave Pat! And if you do Vanna should host and Maggie [Sajak] do the letters,” another commenter suggested.
Other comments the hosts “a remarkably great team” or expressed, “Wheel won’t be the same without Pat.”
Wheel of Fortune didn’t miss an opportunity to have fun with fans and the host situation this week. Instead of Sajak opening the show, Academy Award-winning actor Jared Leto appeared as host for an April Fool’s Day episode.
However, the actor’s appearance as host was brief, as Sajak arrived soon after to take back the reigns of his longtime game show.