Pat Sajak shocked viewers on Monday when he announced he would be retiring from hosting Wheel of Fortune, which he has been doing since the early 80s, after next season. He said then that he would explain more soon.
Now he shares some more details.
Speaking to news station KHON2 in Hawaii, where he is currently starring in a staging of The boys of the sunSajak gave a glimpse of how he feels about his decision.
“Yeah, it’s a party mixed with melancholy,” Sajak said. “I had been thinking about it for a long time. I knew it was going to happen and I talked about it with good friends and [play co-star Joe Moore] and my family. So I had time to get used to the idea. It’s not like I woke up the other day and you know it’s over. So there is this. But those are mixed emotions, of course.”
Sajak’s co-starring role in Neil Simon’s work marks his return to the stage at the Hawaii Theater Center, where he performed five more times with Moore, according to the outlet. The production is a benefit to the venue and runs until June 25. The race kicked off on Thursday, after being delayed for three years due to COVID.
When Sajak was asked what he plans to do after his time at Wheel ends – show producers said he will serve as a consulting producer for three years beyond his stint as host – the 76-year-old said he plans to, well, live the life of a retiree.
“I’m realistic enough to know that people aren’t going to knock on my door. But I’ll take projects if they come,” he said. “But I suspect most of my time will be trimming on the porch, but I don’t know how to trim and I don’t have a porch, so that will be a challenge.”
The show has yet to name a replacement, although Sajak’s co-host Vanna White, her daughter and Wheel of Fortune social correspondent Maggie Sajak and Ryan Seacrest are among the participants in the unofficial chat.