Pat Sajak’s Last Show as ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Host Is Friday. Originally, NBC Didn’t Even Want to Hire Him
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Pat Sajak, the longest-tenured game show host in history, is getting ready for his final spin as Wheel of Fortune emcee. After announcing his retirement one year ago, his final episode as host airs Friday.
Sajak, 77, has helmed the popular hangman-style game show since 1981, forming one of the most recognizable duos in television with Wheel letter-turner Vanna White. But back in the early ’80s, his hiring wasn’t popular—and even sparked conflict between NBC and show creator Merv Griffin. Here’s the scoop on how Sajak eventually became the chief of consonants and vowels.
Before Wheel, Sajak was a radio DJ and weatherman
Patrick Leonard Sajdak—he unofficially dropped the “d” when he began working in television and eventually changed his name—was born in Chicago on October 26, 1946. He always had a passion for broadcasting and made a number of stops before his career-defining role on Wheel.
He told the USO in a 2014 interview that he joined the Army and trained as a clerk typist, eventually going to Vietnam as a finance clerk. He was eventually transferred to Saigon to be a radio DJ, serving as an early-morning host for the Armed Forces Vietnam Network from October 1968 through December 1969. The role was previously held by Adrian Cronauer, whom Robin Williams portrayed in the 1987 film Good Morning, Vietnam.
Back in the states, Sajak became a DJ at radio stations in Murray, Kentucky, and Nashville, Tennessee, in the 1970s. He also served as a weatherman for WSM-TV in Nashville before moving to Los Angeles-based TV affiliate KNBC for a similar role in 1977. It was in Los Angeles that Sajak caught the attention of Wheel creator Griffin, setting up a contentious clash over the show’s future.
A contract dispute opened the door
By the early ’80s, Wheel of Fortune had performed fairly well in the ratings as a daytime program. Original host Chuck Woolery, who had emceed the show since its January 1975 debut, was in the process of renewing his contract with Griffin. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he asked for a salary increase to $500,000—comparable to other hosts at the time.
Woolery claimed in a 2007 interview that Griffin would only agree to pay $400,000 but that NBC offered to make up the difference. Upset by the network’s proposal, Griffin threatened to take the show to rival network CBS, causing NBC to retract its offer. That meant Woolery was off the show for good, and Wheel needed a new host.
Griffin told the New York Times Magazine in 1988 that while looking for a new emcee, he was drawn to Sajak’s on-air news antics. “He had great charm, and he was always playing practical jokes,” Griffin said, according to The Washington Post. “I remember once he came on [to do the weather] with a bandage over his right eye. After a break, the bandage was over the left eye. Pat never said a word, just kept doing the weather.”
Griffin had his man, but NBC President Fred Silverman and other executives rejected the hire—thinking Sajak wasn’t a popular-enough figure—and told him to find someone else. Unwilling to back down, Griffin threatened to stop making episodes of the show until Sajak’s addition was approved.
The network finally agreed, and Sajak hosted his first episode on December 28, 1981. The nightly syndicated version of Wheel, which continues to this day, began airing in 1983 after White had joined the cast.
Sajak became a game show great on Wheel of Fortune
Sajak, of course, became a household name. He is the recipient of three Daytime Emmy Awards for outstanding game show host and received a lifetime achievement award in 2011. He also earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994.
In 2019, Guinness World Records formally recognized Sajak’s Wheel career as the longest for any game show host on the same program—even longer that that of late Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek and The Price Is Right icon Bob Barker. Sajak and White celebrated 7,000 episodes together that year, and that total has only climbed since.
The show has also become a family affair for Sajak, as his daughter Maggie now serves as Wheel’s social correspondent.
Sajak hinted at retirement in a 2021 interview with Entertainment Tonight, saying: “We’re certainly closer to the end than the beginning. I’d like to leave before people tune in and look at me and say, ‘Ooh, what happened to him?’” Even after his final episode airs, Sajak won’t be going far. He will continue to serve as a consultant for Wheel of Fortune for the next three years.
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