Pat Sajak‘s final episode as host of Wheel of Fortune has been taped and an air date has been set at ABC.
The longtime host is retiring after more than four decades on the iconic game show, with his final episode airing on Friday, June 7, according to Deadline.
Sajak’s farewell episode will serve as Wheel of Fortune‘s Season 41 finale before Ryan Seacrest takes over hosting duties in Season 42.
Sajak announced his retirement in June 2023, stating that Season 41 would be his last. He has agreed to stay on as a consultant on the show for three years following his departure as host.
Sajak and longtime colleague Vanna White extended their contracts in 2021 to the end of this season. He first started hosting the show in 1981 and has won three Emmys for his work, not counting the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award he received from the TV Academy.
Creator Merv Griffin had originally recruited him as Chuck Woolery’s replacement, given Sajak’s experience hosting two unscripted game pilots called Press Your Luck and Puzzlers.
Sajak began hosting both a daytime version on NBC and a syndicated version in the evening in the 1980s. When the show reached its 36th season in 2018, Sajak became the longest-running host of any game show, surpassing The Price Is Right‘s Bob Barker.
Ryan Seacrest was announced as Sajak’s replacement about a week after the news of Sajak’s retirement broke. Seacrest will also serve as consulting producer on the show.
