Pat Sajak is retiring from his gig on Wheel of Fortune, and one of his closest confidantes had some emotional feelings about it.
On June 12, fans were overwhelmed by the news that Pat will leave his longtime role as host at the end of the 2023-2024 season. He shared the announcement on Twitter, which led to many sharing how much they enjoyed watching him since his 1981 debut. One such person who voiced their feelings on the subject was his co-star Vanna White, who joined the game show in 1982 and has been by his side ever since. She paid tribute to her fellow cast mate by posting her own heartfelt message on the platform the next day on June 13.
“When we started @WheelofFortune who could have imagined we’d still be at it 41 seasons later?” she wrote. “I couldn’t be happier to have shared the stage with you for all these years with one more to come. Cheers to you, @patsajak!”
VANNA WHITE, MAGGIE SAJAK, PAT SAJAK
When viewers caught wind of the declaration Vanna made about her time working with Pat, they immediately ran to give their own takes on their journey on Wheel of Fortune.
“I’ve watched y’all as far back as I can remember. My family around the TV trying to see who could figure the puzzle fastest. Many, many hours of memories and family fun. Thank you both!!!” one person wrote on Twitter. “Thank you @TheVannaWhite and @patsajak for all the wonderful memories. I will always love Wheel of Fortune,” another added. “Will you be staying with the show or will you retire next year too Vanna?” a different fan inquired.
While Vanna hasn’t explicitly mentioned when she thinks she’ll exit Wheel of Fortune, she has previously opened up about the idea of leaving. When speaking to People in December 2022, she said it was difficult to to come to terms with it just yet.
“I don’t even want to think about that,” she told the outlet. “I mean, we’re a team … I can’t imagine. Everybody relates Wheel of Fortune to Pat and Vanna. We’re like Ken and Barbie, you know? We’ve been in everybody’s homes for 40 years, so it would be weird having somebody else turn my letters.”
As far as what Wheel of Fortune would look like without Vanna, fans got a taste of it in a May episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. She switched from working the leaderboard to contestant, with Pat’s daughter Maggie Sajak taking her spot during the game.