Pat Sajak saying goodbye to him Wheel of Fortune after 41 seasons as the host of the beloved word puzzle game show.
Rhyme announced the news last summer, ahead of the beginning of his last season.
“Well, the time has come. I have decided that our 41st season, which started in September, will be our last,” he wrote on social media. “It’s been a good ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all.”
Rhyme has hosted Wheel of Fortune since 1981, when he took over the position of Chuck Woolery, and has been a stalwart leader of the popular game show ever since.
Sajak spoke to ET in September 2022, and admits when retirement is on his mind.
“The years go by so fast. We’re near the end. It’s been a long (time). We’re not going to do this for another 40 years. The end is near,” he said. “It’s an honor to be in people’s living room for so long. People come out to welcome us. We’re happy and proud.”
As for what he will do wheel depart, Rhyme to his daughterMaggie, “I’m so happy that it just means I get to continue doing crosswords and playing with my grandkids. Hints, not pressures.”
In addition to these plans, Sajak has received post-wheel gig: leading role in Hawaiian Theater production of Recipe: Murder. He will star in the drama directed by Roy Duval alongside Joe Moore, Bryce Moore, Therese Olival, Amy K. Sullivan and Aiko Chinen.
When Sajak said goodbye wheel, Vanna White will remain the hostess from the game show. White spoke out a day before he left Sajak, crying in a YouTube video, “I don’t know how to say what these past 41 years have meant to me, but I’ll try.”
“When I started, I was green,” White said as an old clip of the duo played. “You make me comfortable and you make me confident, Pat. You make me who I am, you really are.”
“As in the past years, we have grown up on television, but we also show more behind the scenes. And as fun as we experience on camera, the memories, milestones and life events that we share with us. family outside the studio so my favorite,” he added. “We’ve watched our children grow up together. We’ve traveled all over the world. We’ve eaten hundreds of meals together. We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve celebrated. Oh, my God. It’s been an incredible and unforgettable journey and I’ve loved every bit of it.” minute with you.
White ended his speech by stating, “As this chapter of our lives comes to an end, I know you will stay close. I will always love you, Pat.”
previous Ryan Seacrest steps to take over as Sajak’s successor, let’s take a look back at some of the biggest and best moments we’ve seen in the new season. wheel.
THE NSFW SURPRISE
Latest viral moments from wheel arrive just a month agoWhen Tavaris Williams made a NSFW guess that left Sajak, the game show crowd and the audience at home were completely speechless.
The category was “Phrases,” and when Tavaris saw the letters “_ _ _ _ I _ T _ EB _ _ T!,” he immediately laughed, sure he knew the correct response to the phrase.
“Right in the ass!” he said, drawing a loud gasp from the audience.
To be honest, Tavaris seemed to immediately regret that answer, and Sajak let him down with a gentle, “No,” as the audience burst into laughter.
The correct answer? “This is the best!”
BIBLIOGRAPHY A
The puzzle wheel can often leave the audience scratching their heads. But even more mind-bending time Jared Leto took Sajak’s place for the April Fools 2024 episode, without explanation to the audience or the contestants.
The actor came out on top of the show with Vanna White, when he was introduced by the announcer: “These are the stars of our show, Jared Leto and Vanna White.”
After hitting the mark, the one with long hair Suicide Squad the actor turned to White and wanted him to show great when he went over to the steering wheel to start the game, sans any mention of what he was doing in the role.
“Alright everybody, grab those devices, it’s time to give them the money,” he told the episode’s three contestants — each of whom looked a little confused.
After the first puzzle, Sajak returns, taking over Leto, again without explanation. The show’s social media pages later confirmed that the exchange was just an April Fool’s Day prank.
SPOILER ALERT
In the April 2021 episode of wheel, Sajak made a historical slip-up when he accidentally said the answer to the bonus round puzzle out loud. Even more surprising? The contestant, Jeffrey, didn’t see it!
After guessing the four letters allowed, Jeffrey stared blankly at the puzzle, struggling for an answer.
“Well, I’d rather be standing here than there, frankly,” Sajak thought.
Turns out, “frankly,” was the answer Jeffrey was looking for. And he didn’t get it!
At the end of the episode, White calls him out on the slip.
“Did you hear me?” he asked.
“It shows that people are concentrating and not paying attention to me,” Sajak said. “Funny what your mouth says your brain says, you shouldn’t do that.”
Earlier in the same year, Sajak also opened the bonus round prize envelopes before the contestants started playing.
“Oh, I’ve seen it!” he said, catching his mistake only after it happened. “I’m not sure why I did that. But I know why he plays and you don’t!”
PAT SNAPS
Sajak has attracted some criticism over the years because he seems impatient with the contestants. In the May 2023 episode of “Grandparents Week,” Debbie Pilgrim and her granddaughter, Sarah Hunt, get all three puzzles wrong during the Triple Toss-Up.
At the end of the wrong guess, Sajak seems to have had enough. “Why bother?” he snapped.
The host tried to make nice as the episode went on, joking with the duo, “I don’t care what happens. I can listen to you tackle the Toss-Ups at night.”
Viewers also criticized Sajak after the March 2022 episode, where he mocked contestant Scott Ingwersen’s opening anecdote, in which he tried to thank a pair of paramedics who helped him in his childhood.
“It’s important to know that when I was 12 years old, I was riding a 10-speed bicycle in flip-flops, and I fell and cut the tip of my toe,” Scott said. “The next car came by two paramedics who were on their way to the job, and they said, ‘It’s just a laceration.’ But I didn’t know what it was, so I was scared and my thumb was reattached, and I just wanted to say ‘thank you’ to him 30 years later.
Rhyme replied, “That’s probably the most pointless story ever. And you told it, Scott. Welcome.”
AUDI makes good
Wheel of Fortune Fans are outraged that contestant Charlene Rubush lost the final round prize due to unknown timing rules in the December 2021 episode.
Charlene’s category is “What Are You Doing?” Although he initially guessed the wrong answer – “choose the right card” – he ended up saying the correct word, which was “choose the right word.” However, Sajak says that if he pauses too long between guesses, he won’t get the prize, which is an Audi Q3.
“It’s difficult because you say all the right words, including the word ‘word’ but you know, you have to keep going,” said Sajak. “We will allow you to rest a little but not four or five seconds. Sorry, you did a good job to get it, but we can not give you a gift.”
The episode sparked outrage from fans online, but the story had a happy ending. Audi reached out via social media to give Charlene her very own car.
“There’s no community like the Audi community. With your help, we’re tracking down Charlene!” they share. “More to come as we help #GiveHerTheQ3.”
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