Pat Sajak’s last spin on ‘Wheel of Fortune’ will be June 7, according to a spokesperson for Sony Pictures Television, which produces the show.
The 77-year-old game show host, formerly of Severna Park, announced late last spring in a tweet that he would be retiring as host.
“Well, the time has come. I have decided that the 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last,” Sajak posted in June. “It’s been a wonderful ride, and I will have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all.”
Sajak has been host of the show, which is based on the game Hangman, since 1981. Contestants guess the letters to fill out words and phrases for money and prizes. In a previous career as a disc jockey for the U.S. Armed Forces, he had the job of yelling “Good Morning, Vietnam.”
In 1989, Sajak married Gambrills native Lesly Brown at St. Mary’s parish in downtown Annapolis. Two years later, the couple purchased a home in Severna Park in the Bluff Point community for $1.275 million. The property was sold last May for $0, The Capital previously reported. He now reportedly lives in Los Angeles.
In 1998, Sajak purchased WNAV-1430AM, one of the last radio stations in Annapolis and longtime broadcaster for U.S. Naval Academy athletics, selling it to BMSC Media LLC, a Maryland company, in 2021.
Earlier this month, Sajak helped establish the Sajak Visual Media Center at Hillsdale College, a private, Christian liberal arts college in southern Michigan. The center will “facilitate filming and media production for the students and staff of Hillsdale College,’ according to a news release from the college.
Sajak has served on the Hillsdale College board of trustees since 2002, according to a news release. He served as the board’s vice chairman from 2003 to 2019, when he was promoted to chairman.
Sajak was not available for an interview. In September, “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest will become the new host, according to a Sony Pictures spokesperson.
