Christopher Willard / ©ABC / Courtesy Everett Collection
Pat Sajak ‘Misses the Camaraderie’ on ‘Wheel of Fortune’ After Leaving the Show: ‘Huge Hole in His Life’
Pat Sajak is enjoying his downtime now that he’s retired from Wheel of Fortune, but a source says he still misses the show enormously – while living vicariously through daughter Maggie Sajak and soaking up all the gossip he can get!
“Pat spent his whole career on Wheel of Fortune, he still has so many friends that are working on the show, people he has known for years,” an insider exclusively tells Closer. “They are truly like family to him so having his daughter working there now is a dream come true. He loves talking shop with her and keeping up on all the latest. It’s not in a malicious way, he just wants to feel like he’s still a part of the team.”
“Not going in to do the show and having that whole cohort of colleagues and friends that he sees or talks to pretty much daily has left a huge hole in his life,” the insider adds. “He’s not finding it easy to adjust to the change. He misses the camaraderie, he misses the star treatment, even the drive to the studio. Sure he can golf every day if he wants but it doesn’t fulfill him the way his job did.”
Pat, 78, announced that he was leaving Wheel of Fortune in June 2023. His final episode of the series took place in June 2024 at the conclusion of the game show’s 41st season.
“It’s been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes night after night, year after year, decade after decade,” he said in his farewell message.
“And I’ve always felt that the privilege came with a 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 learn their letters, where people from other countries honed their English skills, where families came together, along with friends and neighbors and entire generations,” he said. “What an honor to have played even a small part in all that. Thank you for allowing me into your lives.”
Pat Sajak and Vanna White
Maggie, 30, currently serves as the social media correspondent on Wheel of Fortune, which is now hosted by Ryan Seacrest.
Despite leaving his hosting gig, Pat agreed to stay on as a consultant behind the scenes of Wheel of Fortune for three years.
“As the host of Wheel of Fortune, Pat has entertained millions of viewers across America for 40 amazing years. We are incredibly grateful and proud to have had Pat as our host for all these years and we look forward to celebrating his outstanding career throughout the upcoming season,” Suzanne Prete, the Executive Vice President of Game Shows at Sony Pictures Television, said when Pat departed the show. “Pat has agreed to continue as a consultant on the show for three years following his last year hosting, so we’re thrilled to have him remaining close to the Wheel of Fortune family!”
Aside from consulting on the program, Pat is gearing up to play Dr. Roy Flemming in the Hawaii Theater’s production of Prescription: Murder alongside Joe Moore. The shows will take place from July 31 through August 10.
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