Pat Sajak hosted his final episode of Wheel of Fortune last Friday after hosting the beloved game show for 43 years. Now, his daughter Maggie has released some touching backstage footage of Sajak and his co-host Vanna White during their final episode together.
Sajak And White Share Touching Moment
Maggie, who is the social media correspondent for Wheel of Fortune, took to Instagram to share a video showing Sajak and White walk to the stage together for the last time. White can be seen resting her hand on Sajak’s back in support of him.
“One more walk to the stage…tonight,” Maggie captioned the video.
Check out the touching video for yourself here.
Friday was an emotional night as Sajak said goodbye at the end of the show.
“Well, the time has come to say goodbye,” he said. “It’s been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes night after night, year after year, decade after decade.”
“I’ve always felt that the privilege came with the responsibility to keep this daily half-hour a safe place for family fun,” he added. “No social issues, no politics, nothing embarrassing, I hope, just a game.”
Sajak went on to acknowledge the impact that Wheel of Fortune has had on millions of lives. From children using the game show to learn their letters to non-native English speakers using it to learn this language, the show has had a positive impact on countless lives.
Sajak’s Message To White
After thanking the crew of the show, Sajak ended with a message to White.
“Vanna is as sweet and unassuming as she seems,” he said. “We’ve seen a lot of changes in each other’s lives over the years, but we’ve always been there for each other.”
“While I’ll very much miss working with her, I take solace in the fact that we live about 5 miles apart, so we’ll see plenty of each other,” he added. “But I will miss our nightly closes and her laughter and her good nature. She is a very special woman.”
Check out Sajak’s full goodbye message in the video below.
Related: ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ Host Pat Sajak Reveals Real Reason He’s Retiring
White Isn’t Going Anywhere
White will continue hosting Wheel of Fortune next season with Sajak’s replacement, the American Idol host Ryan Seacrest. Though she considered retiring with Sajak after he announced his retirement last year, White ultimately decided to stay with him. Last September, she extended her contract for two more years through the 2025-26 season.
“When I heard that Pat was retiring, I thought maybe I should retire too,” she told TV Insider last month. “But I’m not ready!”
“We’ll see toward the end of those two years how I feel,” she continued. “I thank God after all these years that I still love my job.”
Sajak had hosted Wheel of Fortune since December of 1981. White joined him a year later in December of 1982. From there, they hosted over 8,000 episodes together over the next 42 years.
“8000 episodes went by like that,” White said in her own emotional goodbye message to Sajak. “When I first started, I was so green. You made me so comfortable and so confident, Pat. You made me who I am, you really did.”
Check out White’s full message to Sajak in the video below.
Related: Vanna White Breaks Down Saying Goodbye To ‘Brother’ Pat Sajak As He Retires From ‘Wheel Of Fortune’
The bond that Sajak and White share is truly a beautiful one. While it’s sad that we won’t see them together every night on Wheel of Fortune anymore, we hope their friendship continues behind the scenes for many years to come!
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