Pat Sajak, the longtime host of the popular game show Wheel of Fortune, is retiring. Sajak, 76, announced his decision on Monday in a tweet.
“Well, the time has come,” Sajak wrote. “I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last.”
Sajak has hosted Wheel of Fortune since its debut in 1983. He has won three Emmy Awards for his work on the show, and he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1999.
“It’s been a wonderful ride,” Sajak said in his tweet. “I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all.”
Sajak’s retirement will leave a void in the game show world. He was one of the most popular and respected hosts in television, and his departure will be a major loss for Wheel of Fortune.
The show has not yet announced who will replace Sajak as host. However, executive producer Harry Friedman said in a statement that the show is “confident” that it will find a worthy successor.
“We’re already in the process of finding a new host, and we’re confident that we’ll find someone who can live up to Pat’s legacy,” Friedman said.
Sajak’s retirement is a major event in the world of television, and it will be interesting to see how Wheel of Fortune fares without him. However, there is no doubt that he will be remembered as one of the most iconic game show hosts of all time.
