Wheel of Fortune is about to enter a new era, as host Pat Sajak is retiring from the long-running game show following its upcoming season. While it’s still unknown who will be taking over, and if Vanna White could be following in his footsteps, the beloved host is already thinking about his life post-Wheel. Though the retirement party won't be celebrated for another year, he already has another gig lined up after his time on the series comes to an end.
USA Today reports that Pat Sajak will continue as chairman of the Board of Trustees at the conservative Hillsdale College in Michigan. In an email to the outlet, Hillsdale College spokesperson Emily Stack Davis confirmed that he will still be chairman of the Board, and that the institution is looking forward to continuing its work with him:
Hillsdale College is fortunate to have an even closer relationship with Mr. Sajak. Since 2019, we have benefitted from his wisdom, intellect, and good humor as chairman of Hillsdale’s board of trustees. We look forward to continuing our important work together and to what we are sure will be a bright future for Mr. Sajak and his family.
Sajak is actually in his 20th year as part of the Board of Trustees at Hillsdale College, and it sounds like he won’t be letting up anytime soon. He was promoted to chairman in 2019 after serving as vice chairman since 2003. With his retirement from Wheel of Fortune, Sajak will be able to focus more on his role at the college, and will likely work more hands-on with the Board as well.
Pat Sajak’s future on Wheel of Fortune has been in question for a while now, as he’s been doing it since 1981. As recent as September 2022, it sounded like Sajak was mentally preparing to leave Wheel of Fortune, though it was discussed as a potential eventuality for years prior. Earlier in 2022, he celebrated his 40th anniversary on the game show, which really reminded people just how long he’d been host. It’s not so surprising that Sajak has finally decided to retire from the series, but it'll definitely be strange not seeing him as host in the future.
Thankfully for all of us routine-lovers out there, it's still going to be quite some time until Sajak hands the hosting duties to someone else. He is set to retire after next season, which won’t be premiering until at least September as part of the 2023 TV schedule. With around 200 episodes produced each season on average, plus the primetime fun of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, there are still tons of episodes for Sajak to film before he calls it a wrap and puts his focuses elsewhere, like on Hillsdale College.
Meanwhile, as Pat Sajak gets ready to say goodbye to Wheel of Fortune, it’s going to be a waiting game to see who could possibly replace him as host, even if no one will be able to pull it off quite like him. It’s possible that there could be rotating celebrity hosts, like Jeopardy! did before settling on Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings, but there are already a few contenders who could be permanent replacements on Wheel of Fortune, such as American Idol's Ryan Seacrest, now that he's done with his Live! duties opposite Kelly Ripa. It’s unknown when a decision could be made, but whoever they choose, it will surely bring Wheel of Fortune into a new era.
