The legendary Pat Sajak left Wheel of Fortune back in June after hosting the beloved game show for 43 years. Now, Sajak has been given a major honor, as he’s won his first Emmy in 26 years for his work on the show!
Sajak Wins Emmy
Sajak, 77, won the coveted award for outstanding host for a game show at the 2024 Creative Arts Emmys. He managed to beat out the following nominees: Celebrity Family Feud‘s Steve Harvey, Jeopardy‘s Ken Jennings, Password‘s Keke Palmer, and Weakest Link‘s Jane Lynch.
Sajak had been nominated for this award an astounding 23 times throughout his career. He previously won the Daytime Emmy for outstanding game show host in 1993, 1997, and 1998. Last year, the category moved from the Daytime Emmys to the Primetime Emmy, with Palmer winning it for the first time.
On top of that, Sajak previously received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2011 Daytime Emmy Awards. He received this alongside the Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, who sadly died in 2020 at the age of 80 following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Sajak began hosting Wheel of Fortune back in 1981, when he took over for host Chuck Woolery. Vanna White joined him the next year, and she is still hosting to this day with Sajak’s replacement, Ryan Seacrest.
Sajak Reflects On Hosting Wheel Of Fortune
As he prepared to retire, Sajak got reflective about his time hosting Wheel of Fortune.
“It’s been a little bit wistful and all that, but I’m enjoying it and taking it all in and reflecting on the great run,” Sajak said of hosting the show. “Somewhere along the line, we became more than a popular show. We became part of the popular culture. And more importantly, we became part of people’s lives. And, that’s been awfully gratifying.”
During his final episode, Sajak gave a touching speech as he said goodbye.
“Thank you for allowing me into your lives, every time we taped a show I met three new people from all parts of this wonderful country and the world who were kind and considerate, who rooted for each other, who took great pride in talking about their family, their hometown, their friends, their schools, their jobs, even their pets,” he said.
“In the end, they were the real stars of the show,” Sajak added. “I genuinely like these people and I’ll miss the chance to meet more of them.”
Sajak Praises White
Sajak went on to praise White, who he described as his “professional other half.”
“We’ve seen a lot of changes in each other’s lives over the years, but we’ve always been there for each other,” he said. “While I’ll very much miss working with her, I take solace in the fact that we live about five miles apart so we’ll see plenty of each other. But I will miss our nightly closes and her laughter and her good nature.”
Sajak is a true legend, and many would argue that Wheel of Fortune simply isn’t the same without him. We’re glad that Salak won an Emmy for his last season on the game show. In the end, this win is well deserved!
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