As Pat Sajak faced the Wheel of Fortune puzzle board one last time on Friday, June 7, his successor as host, Ryan Seacrest, marked the “end of an era.”
“Pat, congratulations on an incredible run with Wheel of Fortune!” Seacrest wrote on Instagram on Friday, alongside a photo and a video of the two of them hanging with Wheel of Fortune cohost Vanna White on the set of the syndicated game show.
Seacrest went on: “Your dedication, charm, and wit have made the show a beloved part of American television for decades. Your partnership with Vanna has been nothing short of iconic, and together, you’ve created countless wonderful memories for viewers. You’ve set the standard for hosts everywhere, and this marks the end of an era. Best wishes for all your future endeavors!”
Sajak announced his decision to leave Wheel of Fortune after four decades in June 2023, saying that “the time [had] come” for him to end the “wonderful ride.”
Seacrest revealed later that month that he’d “be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak,” and that he “[couldn’t] wait to continue the tradition of spinning the wheel and working alongside the great Vanna White.”
And on Friday, Sajak’s final episode aired, with the host telling viewers that it had been an “honor” to host “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.”
Seacrest has already filmed Season 42 episodes with White in Hawaii, and his Wheel of Fortune hosting debut will likely premiere in September.
Sajak, meanwhile, has a different reason to head to the Aloha State. He’s scheduled to join longtime collaborator Joe Moore in a new version of Prescription: Murder — the 1962 stage play that inspired Columbo’s pilot episode — at the Hawaii Theater in Honolulu, Hawaii. That production will run from July 31, 2025, to August 10, 2025.
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