is officially waving goodbye to after four decades and more than 8,000 episodes. Sajak, 77, who initially took over for in 1981, hosted the game show for the last time on Friday, June 7. He will be replaced by , while his longtime cohost, , is staying on in her current role.
Sajak began his final episode by saying he wanted to save a bit of time at the end for his final goodbye, so they would be cutting out one round of the game. To be fair, Sajak spun the wheel, promising each contestant that they would receive whatever amount the wheel landed on plus an additional $1,000. His spin landed on $1,000, resulting in each contestant taking home $2,000 right off the bat.
At the end of the episode, Sajak gave a heartwarming speech. “Well, the time has come to say goodbye. I have a few thanks and acknowledgments before I go.
And I want to start with all of you watching out there,” he began. “It’s been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes night after night, year after year, decade after decade. And I’ve always felt that the privilege came with a responsibility to keep this daily half-hour a safe place for family fun.
No social issues, no politics, nothing embarrassing, I hope. Just a game.” Sajak in a preview shared ahead of Friday’s episode.
“Well, the time has come to say goodbye. I have a few thanks and acknowledgements before I go. And I want to start with all of you watching out there.
It’s been an incredible privilege to be invited into.
