It’s time to say goodbye to Pat Sajak

Pat Sajak’s time on Wheel Of Fortune is finally coming to an end. On Friday, the iconic game show host will officially step down after serving as the face of the show for more than 40 years. (You can check when your local station is airing the episode here.) While his longtime partner in crime Vanna White is sticking around for the Ryan Seacrest era, Emmy winner Sajak is moving on to greener pastures. Ahead of his final bow, Variety has a preview of his last goodbye.

“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,” Sajak says. “It’s been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes, night after night, year after year, decade after decade. And I always felt that the privilege came with the 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. But gradually it became more than that. A place where kids learned their letters, where people from other countries honed their English skills. Where families came together along with friends and neighbors and entire generations. What an honor to have played even a small part of that. Thank you for allowing me into your lives.”

Sajak certainly did leave politics out of Wheel. Off of the television set, he posted about climate change denialism, conservative issues, and posed for pictures with Marjorie Taylor Greene. But on screen, he projected warmth and charm, affably mingling with Americans from all walks of life and bringing the same energy and humor to Wheel Of Fortune tapings for decades. There are few television personalities left like him, and that includes the ability to separate his personal views from his television persona. (YMMV whether that’s a good or bad quality to have.)

Sajak’s next gig is a staging of the Columbo mystery Prescription: Murder at the Hawaii Theater with his friend Joe Moore, KHON-TV Hawai’i newscaster, per Variety. The duo have performed there together several times in the past as a means of fundraising for the non-profit theater. And as far as follow-up jobs go, performing a play in Hawai’i with your buddy sounds like a pretty good one.

Speaking with that local news network last year, Sajak said he had “mixed emotions” about leaving Wheel and that he’s “realistic enough to know the people aren’t gonna be banging my door down.” However, in conversation with his daughter Maggie Sajak for the show he said that he’s “looking forward to whatever’s ahead,” and that he’ll be “perfectly happy if it just means that I’ll continue with my crossword puzzles and play with grandchildren. Hint hint hint. No pressure.”