After 41 seasons and more than 8,000 episodes, Pat Sajak, longtime host of “Wheel of Fortune,” appeared in his last new episode of the game show on Friday.
Sajak, who first took the hosting reigns in 1981, is officially the longest-running host of a single same show. Co-host Vanna White joined him a year later in 1982. He’s considered the last of the “old-school game show hosts,” as NPR described him, a group that includes Alex Trebek on “Jeopardy,” Bob Barker on “The Price is Right” and Monty Hall on “Let’s Make a Deal.”
Radio personality and “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest will take over as host when the new season of “Wheel of Fortune” airs in September, with Vanna White continuing her duties on the show.
“If Barker and Trebek can be replaced… then Sajak can,” said Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University. “I think the formats on these shows have become the star now. All the hosts have to do is stay out of the way and keep things moving along.”
