Pat Sajak has officially entered his retirement era. But before he officially said goodbye to Wheel of Fortune after more than 40 years of hosting, he delivered a heartfelt speech full of thanks to the fans, his family, and, most importantly, his longtime co-host Vanna White.
Sajak kicked off his farewell speech with a message to viewers, noting that it’s been an “incredible privilege” to be invited into millions of homes every night for the last four decades. He then acknowledged his fellow co-workers, his children and his beloved wife of 35 years before saving his best (and most emotional) thank you for last.
“Finally, to my professional other half, dear Vanna — like me, she takes the show very seriously but not herself,” he said at the end of his speech. “I shudder to think what these 40-plus years might’ve been like if they brought somebody in all full of themselves playing the prima donna role.”
He continued, “Vanna is as sweet and unassuming as she seems. We’ve seen a lot of changes in each other’s lives over the years but we’ve always been there for each other. I want to thank her for her lovely goodbye on yesterday’s show and while I’ll very much miss working with her, I take solace in the fact that we live about five miles apart so we’ll see plenty of each other.”
Sajak concluded, “But I will miss our nightly closes and her laughter and her good nature. She’s a very special woman. And I know you’re all pleased to know that she’ll be back next season.”
The former host also mentioned that he wouldn’t be disappearing from TV screens just yet as ABC will be playing reruns until the next season of Wheel of Fortune kicks off in September with Ryan Seacrest stepping into his position.
“The jokes will be the same but I’d appreciate it if you laugh again anyway,” he said, adding, “That’s it. Thank you all so very much. And goodbye.”
While White didn’t say anything about Sajak’s retirement in tonight’s episode, she did become emotional in a video posted to the game show’s Instagram page on Thursday (June 6).
“You made me who I am. You really did,” she said. “As the years of gone by, we’ve grown up on television but we’ve also shared so much more behind the scenes. And as much fun as we had on camera, those memories, milestones and life events we shared with our families outside the studio are my favorite.”
White became teary-eyed as she concluded, “Oh, gosh, what an incredible and unforgettable journey we’ve had. And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it with you.”
Wheel of Fortune airs on weeknights at 7:30/6:30c. Check out their website for local listings.
