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In a simple message barely longer than most of his “Wheel of Fortune” puzzles, Pat Sajak bid farewell to fans on social media ahead of his last show on Friday.
“Thank you all so very much,” Sajak, who has hosted “Wheel” since 1982, wrote on his X page.
The 77-year-old’s stint on 8,010 episodes has earned him a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for longest host on the same show and a place in the living rooms and hearts of many Americans in his four-decade run.
Sajak announced he was leaving a year ago.
‘WHEEL OF FORTUNE’ HOST PAT SAJAK SHARES REASON BEHIND HIS DECISION TO RETIRE FROM GAME SHOW
Pat Sajak hosts his final “Wheel of Fortune” episode Friday. (hristopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images)
“Wheel of Fortune” started in 1975, withChuck Wooleryand Sajak stepped in as host seven years later, making him the only host that anyone under 40 would remember.
Vanna White came in the same year and will remain as co-host after Ryan Seacrest starts his run on the hangman-style guessing show.
The social post was Sajak’s first on X since October, and he received a flood of love in the comments.
“I can’t even put into words how much I’m gonna miss you Pat,” one person commented. “You started the show I was 12 and I’m now 53. Congrats on an amazing career. Wowza.”
Another wrote, “Years and years of fantastic, wholesome entertainment! Best wishes for what is next.”
A third said: “No, thank you, Pat. From my family to yours, the pleasure was all ours.”
Pat Sajak and Vanna White in season 10 in the early 1990s. (Ron Tom/NBCU Photo Bank)
Sajak also gave an emotional farewell speech in his last episode, which was taped in April and airs Friday evening.
“Well, the time has come to say goodbye,” he said in his speech. “I have a few thanks and acknowledgments before I go, and I want to start with all watching out there. It’s been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes night after night, year after year, decade after decade.”
“I always felt that the privilege came with the responsibility to keep this daily half hour a safe place for family fun,” he continued. “No social issues, no politics, nothing embarrassing I hope, just a game.”
He said it eventually become “more than that,” saying that was 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.”
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He said he was “honored” to have “even a small part in all of that,” concluding, “Thank you for allowing me into your lives.”
White couldn’t hold back tears Thursday in a farewell to her co-host ahead of the last show in which she gushed: “You made me who I am” while reflecting on their 42 years together.
White, who has played equal parts glamor girl and comedy sidekick to Sajak, called herself “green” when she first started, adding that he made her “so comfortable and so confident” on the show.
Pat Sajak and Vanna White began working on “Wheel of Fortune” together in 1982, with Sajak hosting, and White manning the letterboard. (Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank)
She continued, “As much fun as we’ve had on camera, those memories, milestones and life events we shared with our families outside the studio are my favorite. 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. What an incredible and unforgettable journey we’ve had.”
White called Sajak “like a brother” to her, adding that he’s a “true lifelong friend who I will always adore. I love you, Pat.”
Their run together was fairly improbable as game show hosts and women over 40 are replaced about as often as a light bulb, but the pair made themselves as popular as the game itself, “yet they never allowed themselves to become bigger than the show,” Doug Eldridge, founder of Achilles PR, told Fox News Digital.
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Pat Sajak’s grown daughter, Maggie, has worked on the show as social correspondent since 2021 and has stepped in for White before. (Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images)
He added, “Timing, tempo, and teamwork. When you look at the timing, game shows reached their zenith in the 1960s and 70s … the timing [of Sajak and White’s takeover] was like the last few clicks at the top of the roller coaster climb, when it comes to American viewing habits.”
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While Sajak is retiring from the world of game shows, he already has a new gig booked – he’s set to appear in a Hawaii stage production of a show called “Prescription: Murder,” according toDeadline.
Fox News Digital’s Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.
