Wheel of Fortune fans, if you’ve dreamt of guessing a puzzle with Pat Sajak and Vanna White, you still have time.
After Pat recently hinted that he may be seriously eyeing retirement after season 40, Deadline revealed that ABC has officially renewed the series for new episodes. According to the outlet, viewers can expect to keep tuning into Wheel of Fortune after it was picked up for another “five years through the 2027-2028 season.” The news, which first broke in early January, means that the show will get to celebrate a historic 45th season on the air.
Though neither Pat nor Vanna have spoken about the exciting news, the two riled up folks when they opened up about potential plans to leave the show in the coming years.
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
“We’re getting near the end,” Pat told Entertainment Tonight in September 2022. “It’s been a long [time]. We’re not gonna do this for another 40 years. The end is near. It’s an honor to have been in people’s living rooms for that long. We’re happy and proud.”
Reacting to Pat’s cryptic message, Wheel of Fortune fans voiced their concern when Vanna celebrated her 40th anniversary on the show. “I hope you or Pat don’t retire anytime soon. I think if one or both of you would retire that would be the end of the show,” one person wrote in Vanna’s Instagram comments section.
But according to Pat, whenever they decide to step away from the soundstage, they’re confident that the show will go on without a hitch. “In most television shows by this time, you would have said, ‘That’s probably enough,’ but this show will not die,” he added in the same ET interview. “It appears I may go before the show.”
This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Now, this isn’t the first time Pat has alluded to saying goodbye to Wheel of Fortune. Back in October 2021, he offered up a similar sentiment.
“We’re certainly closer to the end than the beginning,” he said to Entertainment Tonight at the time. “I’d like to leave before people tune in and look at me and say, ‘Oh, what happened to him?’ I wouldn’t bet on it seeing us in 10 years.”
Entertainment & News Editor
Selena is the entertainment and news editor for Good Housekeeping, where she covers the latest on TV, movies and celebrities. In addition to writing and editing entertainment news, she also spotlights the Hispanic and Latinx community through her work. She is a graduate of CUNY Hunter College with a B.A. in journalism and creative writing.