Vanna White ‘Couldn’t Be Happier’ To Have Worked With Pat Sajak On ‘Wheel’ After He Confirms Retirement

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Image Credit: Everett Collection

Vanna White, 66, has breached her soundlessness pursuing the quality of Pat Sajak‘s status from the Wheel Of Fortune. “When we started @WheelofFortune who could person imagined we’d inactive beryllium astatine it 41 seasons later? I couldn’t beryllium happier to person shared the signifier with you for each these years with 1 much to come. Cheers to you, @patsajak!” she tweeted connected Tuesday, June 13 successful effect to Pat’s archetypal status announcement tweet.

When we started @WheelofFortune who could person imagined we’d inactive beryllium astatine it 41 seasons later? I couldn’t beryllium happier to person shared the signifier with you for each these years with 1 much to come. Cheers to you, @patsajak! https://t.co/yYmo3G0Dtb

— Vanna White (@TheVannaWhite) June 13, 2023

Pat, 76, announced his retirement pursuing the 2023 – 2024 play connected Monday, June 12. “Well, the clip has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins successful September, volition beryllium my last,” helium said successful a statement shared to his Twitter account. “It’s been a fantastic ride, and I’ll person much to accidental successful the coming months. Many acknowledgment to you all. (If thing else, it’ll support the clickbait sites busy!)”

Vanna White and Pat Sajak began moving connected ‘Wheel of Fortune’ unneurotic successful 1982, 1 twelvemonth into Pat’s tenure (Photo: Everett Collection)

Although the quality was shocking to fans (because however tin anyone ideate the Wheel of Fortune being led by anyone else?!), Pat has hinted astir his status successful the past. “In astir television shows by this time, you would person said, ‘That’s astir apt enough,’ but this amusement volition not die,” helium explained to Entertainment Tonight in Sept. 2022. “Years spell by fast. We’re getting adjacent the end. It’s been a agelong [time]. We’re not gonna bash this for different 40 years. The extremity is near.”

Pat archetypal began hosting Wheel of Fortune successful 1981, six years aft it primitively debuted with Chuck Woolery and his co-host, Susan Stafford, astatine the helm. Vanna joined successful 1982 and the brace were a hit.

Vanna White and Pat Sajak airs connected the Hollywood Walk of Fame successful 2019 (Photo: Everett Collection)

Vanna filled successful arsenic big for Pat for 3 weeks aft he underwent exigency surgery successful Nov. 2019. Although she admitted she was “very nervous” for her last-minute hosting gig, she was astir acrophobic with her longtime colleague’s recovery. “My biggest interest was Pat’s health,” she told PEOPLE in Dec. 2019. “I was truthful worried, and it was truthful unusual being connected the acceptable without him.

“I’ve ne'er been connected the acceptable without him successful 37 years, but the unit and unit were truthful supportive and made maine truthful comfy and helped maine successful each way,” she continued. “Everybody was truthful supportive. I had a fewer insignificant mistakes, but thing that affected the game.” She besides covered for Pat successful May 2023 erstwhile helium participated successful the crippled arsenic a personage contestant.

No plans for Pat’s replacement person been revealed publicly, but it’s comforting to cognize that there’s 1 idiosyncratic who tin bash the job! On the different hand, Pat’s daughter, Maggie, has been moving arsenic a societal analogous for Wheel of Fortune for a fistful of years. Her aboriginal with the amusement is besides chartless astatine the clip of this writing.

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