Pat Sajak Signs Off ‘Wheel of Fortune’ After 41 Seasons: ‘That’s It. Thank You All So Very Much’

variety.com:

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Pat Sajak signed off of “Wheel of Fortune” on Friday evening after more than 40 years as host, telling viewers with a slight catch in his voice that he was grateful for the “incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes night after night.” The half-hour episode, recorded on April 5, was largely a regular telecast of the syndicated show with a few extra touches including Sajak’s four-minute farewell, or what he described as “a few parting thoughts.” But it opened with a clip of Sajak’s first appearance as host back in 1981, when the show aired on NBC’s daytime schedule before shifting to first-run syndication through King World Productions (which was acquired by CBS in 2000) in the fall of 1983.

In the 1981 clip, the voice-over announcer introduces Sajak as the replacement for former host Chuck Woolery, who went on to host the dating game show “The Love Connection.” “Please do not adjust your sets at home,” Sajak told the audience in 1981. “Chuck Woolery has not shrunk.” After the vintage clip aired, “Wheel of Fortune” opened as it has for the past 41 seasons, with Sajak and his longtime co-host Vanna White walking on to the set, arm in arm — he in a double-breasted dark blue suit, she in a long, red sequined ball gown.

Referring to his youthful face in the vintage clip, Sajak observed to White: “All grown up,” to which she replied, “you are.” From there, Sajak went right into business as usual, starting off the first word puzzle with the episode’s three contestants. “We’re going to give away some money here,” Sajak said for the last time after some 8,000 shows.