Pat Sajak | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sajak in 2011 | |
| Born | Patrick Leonard Sajdak (1946-10-26)October 26, 1946 (age 79) |
| Alma mater | Columbia College Chicago |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1968–2025 |
| Notable credit(s) | Wheel of Fortune (1981–2024) The Pat Sajak Show (1989–1990) |
| Political party | Republican[1] |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2; includingMaggie |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | US Army |
| Service years | 1968–1969 |
| Rank | Specialist 5th Class |
| Conflicts | Vietnam War |
Patrick Leonard Sajak (/ˈseɪdʒæk/SAY-jak; néSajdak,[2] born October 26, 1946) is an American retired game show host, television personality, and creative consultant. He is best known as the host of the television game showWheel of Fortune, a position which he held from 1981 to 2024. Sajak also served as a consultant for the show, and hostedCelebrity Wheel of Fortune until 2025. For his work onWheel, Sajak has received 19 nominations for theDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host, winning thrice, and twice nominated for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Game Show, winning in 2024. In 2019, he was recognized byGuinness World Records for having the longest-serving career as a game show host for the same show, surpassing previous record holderBob Barker.
Beyond his game show career, Sajak has made various appearances in films, television series, and game shows, such asAirplane II: The Sequel,Days of Our Lives, andRugrats. He also hosted a late-night talk show onCBS from 1989 to 1990 and became a frequent guest host forCNN'sLarry King Live and the syndicatedLive with Regis and Kelly.
Sajak has been involved in a variety of other endeavors, including as an external director of conservative publishing house Eagle Publishing and writing for the National Review Online and Ricochet.com. He is also the author of several puzzle games, including "Lucky Letters", developed in collaboration with puzzle developerDavid L. Hoyt.
Patrick Leonard Sajak was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 26, 1946.[2] He graduated fromFarragut High School in 1964,[3] then went toColumbia College Chicago while working as a desk clerk atThe Palmer House Hilton hotel.[3] His Polish-origin surname was originally spelled Sajdak, but he later changed it to Sajak to better reflect its Americanized pronunciation.[4]
Sajak served in theU.S. Army as adisc jockey during theVietnam War forAmerican Forces Vietnam Network.[5] He hosted the sameDawn Buster radio show thatAdrian Cronauer did and Sajak followed Cronauer's tradition of signing on with "Good Morning Vietnam!" for 14 months.[6]
Sajak won a contest onWLS radio'sDick Biondi Show to be a guest teen deejay. While atColumbia College Chicago, his broadcasting instructor Al Parker told him that a local radio station (WEDC) was looking for a newsman. Sajak applied for the job and was hired to work from midnight to 6:00 a.m. In 1968, he joined the U.S. Army and was sent toVietnam, serving as a disc jockey onArmed Forces Radio. Onthe Military Channel's program,An Officer and a Movie, Sajak admitted to botchingPresidentRichard Nixon's 1969 Christmas broadcast to the troops; he accidentally cut the feed off prematurely. Upon realizing the error, Sajak decided it would be best not to resume the feed. In the early 1970s, he DJed for a year atWNBS inMurray, Kentucky.[7] Also in the early 1970s, Sajak began DJing at 50,000-wattWSM inNashville; at the time, WSM was playingpop music during the day, and he was the 2:30–5:00 pm afternoon personality. The radio station's television sister, WSM-TV (nowWSMV), brought Sajak on screen, first as a voiceover artist making station identifications and anchoring the five-minute newscasts duringNBC'sToday Show, then as a weekend and substitute weatherman, where he became acquainted with anchorDan Miller. In 1977,KNBC-TV inLos Angeles was looking for a weather reporter and spotted Sajak working in Nashville. He accepted KNBC's request for him to be a full-time weather reporter for the station.
In 1981,Merv Griffin asked Sajak if he would be interested in taking over the duties as host onWheel of Fortune fromChuck Woolery. However,Fred Silverman, the president and CEO of NBC, rejected his hiring, claiming Sajak was too local, and Griffin responded by imposing a moratorium on new tapings until Sajak was hired.[8] The issue became moot when Silverman was dismissed due to repeated programming failures and replaced byBrandon Tartikoff. Sajak, who had already hosted two game show pilots in 1980,Press Your Luck forRalph Edwards (no relation to the1983 CBS game show of the same name) andPuzzlers forMark Goodson, accepted the position. From 1983 to 1989, Sajak hosted both the daytime (NBC) andsyndicated evening versions ofWheel of Fortune; Sajak continued to host the latter version until 2024. With Sajak returning for his 36th season in 2018–19, he became the longest-running host of any game show, surpassingBob Barker, who hostedThe Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007. Sajak was officially honored as such by theGuinness World Records with the episode taped on March 28, 2019, and aired May 8, 2019 (two days before the primetime version's 7,000th episode).[9][10]
Sajak had a small role as aBuffalo, New York newscaster in the 1982 comedy filmAirplane II: The Sequel. When his late-night talk show onCBS premiered in January 1989, Sajak left the daytime version ofWheel and was replaced by formerSan Diego Chargers place-kickerRolf Benirschke (who was later replaced byBob Goen when the daytime show moved to CBS in July of that year). Sajak appeared onSuper Password several times from 1984 to 1989, as well asPassword Plus in 1981, shortly before taking on hosting duties onWheel. Other game shows on which he appeared as a celebrity guest wereDream House,Just Men!, andMatch Game-Hollywood Squares Hour.
Sajak hosted a short-livedlate-night talk show on CBS from January 9, 1989 to April 13, 1990.[11] Dan Miller, Sajak's old friend and former anchor at WSM-TV in Nashville, joined him as his sidekick.[12] Sajak later became a frequent guest host forCNN'sLarry King Live when King was unable to do the show.[13] Sajak became a regular substitute host forRegis Philbin on the syndicatedLive with Regis and Kelly.[14] Sajak also hostedPat Sajak Weekend onFox News in 2003.[15] From at least 2002, Sajak hostedThe Pat Sajak Baseball Hour, a syndicated weekly radio sports talk show that ended in 2006 due to scheduling conflicts.[16][17]
Sajak is an external director ofconservative publishing house Eagle Publishing.[18] He has been a member of the board of directors for theClaremont Institute.
In 1983, Sajak portrayed Kevin Hathaway in the NBC daytimesoap operaDays of Our Lives. In 1994, Sajak appeared as himself on the children's cartoon showRugrats.[19]
In 1997, Sajak pulled anApril Fool's Day prank on fans when he andVanna White were contestants on an episode ofWheel hosted byAlex Trebek. The winnings of both Sajak and White were donated to charity (in this case, theAmerican Cancer Society and theBoy Scouts of America). In return, Sajak hosted a regular episode ofJeopardy! in place of Trebek. Sajak also appeared at the beginning of a 2010 April Fool's episode, along withJeff Probst andNeil Patrick Harris.
In 2001, Sajak appeared as himself in the episode "Inner Tube" on the sitcomThe King of Queens.
Sajak began writing for theNational Review Online in 2010. In his first post, Sajak questioned whether public employees should be allowed to vote on issues that would benefit them directly.[20][21] He also has contributed to thecenter-rightsociopolitical/social networking websiteRicochet.com.[22][23]
Sajak is the author of several puzzle games, the first and best-known of them being "Lucky Letters", which debuted in 2007. The games, which Sajak developed with puzzle developerDavid L. Hoyt, are syndicated throughUniversal Uclick.[24]
As of 2019, Sajak is theHillsdale College board of trustees chair.[25][26][27] He was previously vice-chair for 15 years.[28] Hillsdale is a private Christian college.
Sajak has appeared on episodes ofESPN Radio'sThe Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, as well asLe Batard's other show,Highly Questionable.[29][30]
Since 2020, Sajak has been credited as a Consulting Producer (since the start of Season 39) ofWheel of Fortune.
Since 2021, Sajak and White have hosted PrimetimeCelebrity Wheel of Fortune onABC.[31]
In September 2021, it was announced that both Sajak and White had signed on to continue as hosts ofWheel of Fortune through the 2023–24 season.[32] In 2021, Sajak voiced a singing bust in aMuppets Haunted Mansion television special.[33] Sajak has been a frequent celebrity narrator atDisney's Candlelight Processional, appearing most recently in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2024.[34][35]
On June 12, 2023, Sajak announced that he would retire as host ofWheel of Fortune in 2024, after the conclusion of the show's 41st season.[36] Shortly afterwards, media personalityRyan Seacrest was announced as Sajak's successor.[37] His final episode was taped in April 2024[38] and aired on June 7, 2024. In June 2023, Sajak agreed to continue as a show consultant for three years after hosting and said he would continue as chairman of the board of trustees forHillsdale College.[39] It was announced on July 11, 2024 that Sajak would return as the host ofCelebrity Wheel of Fortune for its fifth season.[40] The season premiered in December 2024 with the remaining episodes starting to air on April 30, 2025.[41][42] Sajak's final episode as host aired on June 10, 2025.[43]
While at WSMV as a meteorologist in the mid-1970s, Sajak commented about "daytime highs and nighttime lows". This prompted songwriterBen Peters to write "Daytime Friends", which became a number one hit forKenny Rogers in 1977.[44]
Sajak was parodied in a 1980sSesame Street sketch, with a Muppet named Pat Playjacks hosting "Squeal of Fortune". The goal was for the contestants (Prairie Dawn andThe Count) to guess how many times a pig in the center of the wheel would squeal before the wheel stopped.[45]
During the 1980s, comedianMartin Short frequently portrayed a fictional character he calledEd Grimley, a hyperactive manchild who is obsessed with banalpopular culture – Sajak in particular – on thesketch comedy television showsSCTV andSaturday Night Live.[46]
In 1986, Sajak and hisWheel of Fortune co-star Vanna White portrayed themselves on an episode of the NBC sitcom227.[47]
In thefourth-season episode ofThe A-Team called "Wheel of Fortune", Sajak makes a cameo along with co-star Vanna White. In the episode,Murdock wins big atWheel of Fortune due toFace's system of guessing the letters correctly.[citation needed]
In 1992, Sajak was a special guest star in the TV showThe Commish. The episode first aired on November 7, 1992, and was called "The Two Faces of Ed". He played psychologist Brian Brandon.[48]
In the fourth episode of season three ofComedy Central'sBrickleberry, "That Brother's My Father", Sajak gets kidnapped and becomes a hostage to the wheel of fortune. In the episode, the character of Connie, a strong and very large but typically kindhearted state park ranger, takes an unhealthy obsession with Sajak and his famous game show, ultimately tying him to a makeshift replica of the wheel itself and attempting a faux-game of Wheel of Fortune with him while behaving erratically.
In the fourth episode ofseason four ofAbbott Elementary, Jacob Hill, a teacher at Abbott Elementary, dresses up as Pat Sajak for Halloween.
Sajak is married to Lesly Brown-Sajak, a photographer, with whom he has two children: a son, Patrick Michael James Sajak (born September 22, 1990), who is a doctor, having earned his medical degree in 2021,[49] and a daughter,Maggie Marie Sajak (born January 5, 1995), who is a social correspondent onWheel of Fortune.[50] They live inSeverna Park, Maryland,[51] with a second home in Los Angeles.[52]
Sajak is featured as a narrator in a brief film shown at the visitor center atMount Vernon, the residence ofGeorge Washington, where he explains to tourists the attractions of the site.[53] From 1998 until the end of 2021, Sajak owned Maryland-basedAM radio stationWNAV in Annapolis.
Sajak is aRepublican, and has written a number of columns for the conservative magazineHuman Events.[54] He is also a regular poster and podcast participant on the conservative blogRicochet.com.[55] Sajakrejects thescientific consensus on climate change.[56][57] He is also a financial supporter of theYoung America's Foundation, which sponsors conservative speakers on college campuses.[58] Sajak noted in his last appearance as host of the game show that he did not include politics into his hosting duties, saying that the show included "no social issues, no politics" and was "just a game."[59]
In 2005, Sajak became an investor in theGolden Baseball League, an independent professional baseball league with teams in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah,Alberta,British Columbia, andBaja California.[60][61] During a guest appearance in the broadcast booth at a March 2012Baltimore Orioles –Boston Red Soxspring-training game,[62] Sajak acknowledged that he had called some baseball games in the past.
Sajak is an avid fan of theWashington CapitalsNHL team. He is a longtime season-ticket holder and made an on-ice appearance before game three of the2018 Stanley Cup Finals.[63]
Sajak underwent emergency intestinal surgery to remove a blockage on November 8, 2019.[64][65] While Sajak recovered, co-hostVanna White hosted in his place. The first taping day in which he was incapacitated was a two-weekDisney-themed Christmas episode.Mickey andMinnie Mouse took over White's role at the puzzle board for those weeks. Sajak's daughter, Maggie, also helped White for a week.[66][67][68][69] Sajak returned to work on December 5, 2019.[70]
| Media offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Host ofWheel of Fortune (daytime) December 28, 1981–January 9, 1989 | Succeeded by |
| New show | Host ofWheel of Fortune (syndicated) September 19, 1983–June 7, 2024[a] | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | College Bowl host 1984 (Televised semifinals and finals) | Succeeded by Dick Cavett 1987 |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by | Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host 1993 | Succeeded by |
| Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host 1997–1998 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host of a Game Show 2024 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmy Awards 2011 With:Alex Trebek | Succeeded by |
he said he is a 'Conservative Republican ...'
He even got to play an animated version of himself on the Nickelodeon cartoon "Rugrats" in 1994.
friends of the program ... Pat Sajak
Sajak has long acknowledged that he is aclimate change skeptic.
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
