Pat Sajak has officially taped his last show as Wheel of Fortune host as details of sweet sendoff
0Pat Sajak has officially taped his last show as Wheel of Fortune host as details of sweet sendoff
Pat Sajak has officially taped his last show as Wheel of Fortune host as details of sweet sendoff revealed
PAT Sajak has taped his farewell episode as host of Wheel of Fortune, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal.
Pat, 77, announced in spring of 2023 that he’d be leaving the iconic game show and that Season 41 would be his last.
Pat will bid farewell to the masses at the end of Season 41 on Friday, June 7, 2024.
A Sony rep for Wheel of Fortune exclusively confirmed to The U.S. Sun that Pat has filmed his last slate of six episodes.
This includes his final episode, which is titled "Thanks For The Memories," and was filmed on Friday, April 5, the show exclusively shared.
The episode will be nothing short of a TV milestone as the host has doled out puzzles and prizes alongside Vanna White, 66, since 1981 and 1982 respectively.
The show has not shared if Pat's farewell episode will be an all-out tribute to him with memories from over the years or simply business as usual ending with him saying goodbye.
Tickets for Pat's penultimate five episodes were opened to the public last minute, while his farewell episode was reportedly not open to the public and invite only.
The show airs weekdays at 7:30 pm ET on ABC, so fans can catch his sendoff on June 7 at that time.
'BITTERSWEET DAY'
Some fans recently took to social media saying they were in the audience for his last slate of episodes.
"Today Pat is taping his final show as host. It’s a bittersweet day in Wheel history," one Redditor recently wrote in a show message board.
Another wrote, "Pat's final taping day was supposed to be invite-only, but tickets for the 12:00 session did open up at the last minute a couple of times. I was fortunate to be in the audience for his fifth-through-third-to-last episodes."
"Pat added so much personality to the show. He was the show. Can’t wait to watch the final episode. It’s the end of an era," wrote a third.
Stage Manager Jimmy Maguire also posted a photo to Instagram showing the backdrop for his farewell episode.
Behind him the screen lit up with the title, "Thanks For The Memories."
'WONDERFUL RIDE'
Pat has been a living room mainstay on Wheel of Fortune for 41 years, so fans were shocked and moved when he announced his upcoming retirement.
Sajak revealed the news in a personal note on X, formerly Twitter, on June 12, 2023.
“Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last," he tweeted.
“It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months."
"Many thanks to you all. (If nothing else, it’ll keep the clickbait sites busy!)” he added.
“When we started Wheel of Fortune’who could have imagined we’d still be at it 41 seasons later?” Vanna tweeted in response.
“I couldn’t be happier to have shared the stage with you for all these years with one more to come," she added. "Cheers to you!”
Just a few weeks later, Ryan Seacrest announced on Instagram that he would be replacing Pat as the new host.
“I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak,” Seacrest wrote.
“I can say, along with the rest of America, that it’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them,” Seacrest continued.
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