Is Vanna White leaving 'Wheel of Fortune' with Pat Sajak?

Sajak himself once said there was a "good chance" they'd retire from the show together. So what's happening?

(NEXSTAR) – After 41 seasons, “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak is saying goodbye to viewers.

“The time has come to say goodbye,” said Sajak in his final episode, which airs Friday, June 7. “I have a few thanks and acknowledgements before I go, and I want to start with all of you watching out there. It’s been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes, night after night, year after year.”

Sajak had announced his intentions to leave “Wheel of Fortune” before the start of the game show’s current season. Within a few weeks, Sony Pictures Television revealed that Ryan Seacrest would be taking over as host, signing a “multi-year” contract.

“I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak,” Seacrest said at the time.

But Sajak’s contract wasn’t the only one expiring this year: Vanna White, Sajak’s sidekick of over four decades, had also only signed a deal to appear through 2024, Deadline previously reported.

Sajak himself once told USA Today in 2019 that there was a “good chance” he and White would pick the same season to retire from the show, remarking that it would be “odd for either of us to work with somebody else.”

“She’s just a sweetheart, and has made my life fabulous,” Sajak said of White in an interview with daughter Maggie Sajak, published this week on the “Wheel of Fortune” YouTube page.

Months after Sajak confirmed he was leaving the show, however, White extended her contract for two additional years, ensuring she’ll remain a fixture of the show through 2026.

But as Sajak recently told his daughter Maggie Sajak — who is also an online correspondent for “Wheel” — he’s glad that she and White will be remaining with the show to help “hold down the ship.”

“We’ll do our best,” Maggie Sajak responded.

In a tearful video message of her own published on Thursday, White credited Pat Sajak for helping her gain confidence in her role on the show, saying, “You made me who I am. You really did.”

“What an incredible and unforgettable journey we’ve had,” she added. “And I’ve enjoyed every moment of it with you.”

Season 42 of “Wheel of Fortune,” featuring White and Seacrest, is scheduled to debut in September 2024.