PAT Sajak has shared one last goodbye as he prepares to officially pass the Wheel of Fortune hosting baton to Ryan Seacrest.

Pat, 77, penned a message on X today ahead of the last night of summer reruns, and as Ryan, 49, becomes the new host of the main show.

Pat Sajak – seen here hosting Wheel of Fortune – shared a statement on officially retiringCredit: getty

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Pat Sajak wrote on X that having streaming services means ‘never having to say goodbye’

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Ryan Seacrest is seen here hosting Wheel of Fortune as he replaces Pat on MondayCredit: ABC
Pat, who retired from Wheel of Fortune in June, shared his thoughts on officially being done hosting.

Tonight marks the last evening he’ll be on TV as host in the form of summer reruns.

“This is the last night of summer reruns, although having cable and streaming services means never having to say goodbye. Looking forward to Season 5 of @celebritywof on @ABCNetwork this fall, as well as what’s coming next.”

Pat mentioned he would still be on-screen via on-demand and that he would still technically host the game show one last time.

He’ll join Vanna White, 67, for the upcoming Celebrity Wheel of Fortune season to fulfill his contract.

The post did not mention Ryan, hype fans up for his hosting debut, or tell people to tune in to see him.

The American Idol fixture takes the stage on the nightly show starting this Monday, September 9.

‘WON’T BE THE SAME!’

Fans flooded the comments section, sharing they’ll miss seeing Pat on-screen.

“I will never watch the new WoF. It’s not the same without you. I’ll just watch reruns!” one person replied.

“Next week still won’t be the same without you,” wrote another.

“Won’t be the same but willing to give Ryan a chance,” wrote a third.

“Thanks for all the great years of hosting,” wrote a fourth. “And for being the funniest ex-game show host of all time.”

Pat’s message is rare, as he’s only posted three times since his retirement announcement.

On June 12, 2023, the host of four decades announced he was stepping down on the platform.

“Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. (If nothing else, it’ll keep the clickbait sites busy!).”

Ryan Seacrest’s Current Jobs

Ryan Seacrest is quite the workaholic, with the Hollywood multiphenate juggling perhaps more ongoing jobs than any other A-lister:

-Host of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve on ABC
-Host of American Top 40 on KIIS-FM
-Host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest on KIIS-FM
-Host of American Idol since its very first season in 2001
-Host of Wheel of Fortune as of 2024

Ryan has exited many previous roles in the past few years to get where he is today, including as an executive producer of Hulu’s The Kardashians and co-host of Live! with Kelly and Mark.

Hard work pays off; according to Celebrity Net Worth, Ryan’s worth a fortune of $450 million

‘FINAL SPIN’

Earlier this week, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune announced its premiere date, with Pat getting one last hurrah as host.

The special will return on October 14, 2024, on ABC and Hulu and air weekly afterward.

The iconic game show announced the big news on Wednesday with a poster on Instagram.

Vanna, 67, is seen beaming alongside Pat, 77 as they team up one last time.

Above them is a puzzle board that reads: “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune Returns.”

The caption confirmed this was the last time Pat would host in any capacity.

“It’s the final spin for Pat Sajak as host when Celebrity Wheel of Fortune premieres October 14 at 8/7c on ABC and Stream on Hulu,” the caption reads.

After this season of Celebrity Wheel, it’s all but certain Ryan will host the special going forward.

Meanwhile, while Pat will otherwise no longer be hosting, he’ll still be close by, serving as a supervising producer for the next three years.

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Celebrity Wheel of Fortune with Pat Sajak and Vanna White returns on October 14Credit: ABC

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Pat Sajak is seen beaming while filming his last-ever shows to fulfill his contract

PAT’S PASTIMES

On Wednesday, Maggie, the social media correspondent for WoF, shared an update on her dad’s recent activities.

An Instagram Story photo showed Pat standing poolside as he posed shirtless in red swim trunks.

The 29-year-old roasted her dad and called him out for just “sitting” in the water in her caption.

“Swimming… If sitting in the shallow end counts as swimming,” she wrote over the shot.

Maggie also addressed fans’ questions about what Pat has been “up to” in an Instagram Story video.

“Everyone’s been asking me what my dad has been up to recently,” Maggie said.

“So, I wanted to share with you all some of the highlights. Enjoy.”

“Doing some light reading… He loves looking at the pictures!” she wrote over a photo of her dad reading a History of the World book.

Next was a selfie of Pat in the car with Maggie’s dog Jax on his lap, to which his daughter added, “Babysitting… But his rates are outrageous.”

A following shot showed Pat standing in a kitchen in front of nine large, meat-stuffed hoagies.

“Cooking… dinner for one!” she joked.

Another video of her dad at a Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Baltimore Orioles game, saying he’s been “watching lots of baseball.”

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Maggie Sajak shared an Instagram photo of a shirtless Pat enjoying retirementCredit: Instagram/maggiesajak

EMOTIONAL EXIT

Pat’s last episode of WoF aired on June 7, which was met with an emotional goodbye from the longtime host.

“Well, the time has come to say goodbye,” he told viewers.

“I have a few thanks and acknowledgments before I go, and I want to start with all watching out there,” Pat continued.

He went on to thank the entire WoF staff, his co-host, Vanna White, and all the contestants he had met over his 41 years on the show.

Pat beat out Bob Barker, who hosted The Price is Right from 1972 until 2007, as the longest-running host of any game show in history.

His exit also is a turning point in TV as he’s the last of the OG game show hosts.

The hiring of Ryan a few weeks later was met with mixed reactions, with many fans unsure of the replacement.

Many even wanted Maggie to take over her father’s role, as she is already connected to the show and has been around it since the ’90s.

While Vanna was expected to leave with Pat, she recently told The New York Times she wasn’t quite ready to hang up her heels and “play golf every day.”

“Fortunately, I’m healthy, I’m active and I can still walk in those six-inch heels and I still wear those dresses,” she said.

Season 42 of Wheel of Fortune premieres Monday, September 9, at 7 pm Eastern.

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Ryan Seacrest is about to make his host debut on the main show with Vanna on September 9Credit: Wheel of Fortune

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Pat hosted Wheel of Fortune with Vanna White for four decadesCredit: ABC via Getty Images