1. Patrick Leonard Sajak is an American game show host, television personality, and creative consultant.
46 Facts About Pat Sajak
1. 2.
Pat Sajak is best known as the host of the television game show Wheel of Fortune, a position which he held from 1981 to 2024.
3.
Pat Sajak remains as host of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.
4.
Beyond his game show career, Pat Sajak has made various appearances in films, television series, and game shows, such as Airplane II: The Sequel, Days of Our Lives, and Rugrats.
5.
Pat Sajak hosted a late-night talk show on CBS from 1989 to 1990 and became a frequent guest host for CNN's Larry King Live and the syndicated Live with Regis and Kelly.
6.
Pat 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.
7.
Pat Sajak is the author of several puzzle games, including "Lucky Letters", developed in collaboration with puzzle developer David L Hoyt.
8.
Pat Sajak served in the US Army as a disc jockey during the Vietnam War for American Forces Vietnam Network.
9.
In 1977, KNBC-TV in Los Angeles was looking for a weather reporter and spotted Pat Sajak working in Nashville.
10.
Pat Sajak accepted KNBC's request for him to be a full-time weather reporter for the station.
11.
However, Fred Silverman, the president and CEO of NBC, rejected his hiring, claiming Pat Sajak was too local, and Griffin responded by imposing a moratorium on new tapings until Pat Sajak was hired.
12.
Pat Sajak, who had already hosted two game show pilots in 1980, Press Your Luck for Ralph Edwards and Puzzlers for Mark Goodson, accepted the position.
13.
From 1983 to 1989, Pat Sajak hosted both the daytime and syndicated evening versions of Wheel of Fortune; Pat Sajak continued to host the latter version until 2024.
14.
Pat Sajak was officially honored as such by the Guinness World Records with the episode taped on March 28,2019, and aired May 8,2019.
15.
Pat Sajak had a small role as a Buffalo, New York newscaster in the 1982 comedy film Airplane II: The Sequel.
16.
When his late-night talk show on CBS premiered in January 1989, Pat Sajak left the daytime version of Wheel and was replaced by former San Diego Chargers place-kicker Rolf Benirschke.
17.
Pat Sajak appeared on Super Password several times from 1984 to 1989, as well as Password Plus in 1981, shortly before taking on hosting duties on Wheel.
18.
Pat Sajak hosted a short-lived late-night talk show on CBS from January 9,1989 to April 13,1990.
19.
Pat Sajak later became a frequent guest host for CNN's Larry King Live when King was unable to do the show.
20.
Pat Sajak became a regular substitute host for Regis Philbin on the syndicated Live with Regis and Kelly.
21.
Pat Sajak is an external director of conservative publishing house Eagle Publishing.
22.
Pat Sajak has been a member of the board of directors for the Claremont Institute.
23.
In 1983, Pat Sajak portrayed Kevin Hathaway in the NBC daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives.
24.
In 1994, Pat Sajak appeared as himself on the children's cartoon show Rugrats.
25.
In 1997, Pat Sajak pulled an April Fool's Day prank on fans when he and Vanna White were contestants on an episode of Wheel hosted by Alex Trebek.
26.
In 2001, Pat Sajak appeared as himself in the episode "Inner Tube" on the sitcom The King of Queens.
27.
Pat Sajak began writing for the National Review Online in 2010.
28.
Pat Sajak is the author of several puzzle games, the first and best-known of them being "Lucky Letters", which debuted in 2007.
29.
The games, which Sajak developed with puzzle developer David L Hoyt, are syndicated through Universal Uclick.
30.
Pat Sajak has appeared on episodes of ESPN Radio's The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, as well as Le Batard's other show, Highly Questionable.
31.
Since 2020, Pat Sajak has been credited as a Consulting Producer of Wheel of Fortune.
32.
In 2021, Pat Sajak voiced a singing bust in a Muppets Haunted Mansion television special.
33.
Pat Sajak has been a frequent celebrity narrator at Disney's Candlelight Processional, appearing most recently in 2017,2018,2019,2021, and 2024.
34.
On June 12,2023, Pat Sajak announced that he would retire as host of Wheel of Fortune in 2024, after the conclusion of the show's 41st season.
35.
In June 2023, Pat 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 for Hillsdale College.
36.
Sajak was parodied in a 1980s Sesame Street sketch, with a Muppet named Pat Playjacks hosting "Squeal of Fortune".
37.
In 1992, Pat Sajak was a special guest star in the TV show The Commish.
38.
Pat Sajak is featured as a narrator in a brief film shown at the visitor center at Mount Vernon, the residence of George Washington, where he explains to tourists the attractions of the site.
39.
From 1998 until the end of 2021, Pat Sajak owned Maryland-based AM radio station WNAV in Annapolis.
40.
Pat Sajak is a Republican, and has written a number of columns for the conservative magazine Human Events.
41.
Pat Sajak is a regular poster and podcast participant on the conservative blog Ricochet.
42.
Pat Sajak is a financial supporter of the Young America's Foundation, which sponsors conservative speakers on college campuses.
43.
In 2005, Pat Sajak became an investor in the Golden Baseball League, an independent professional baseball league with teams in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Alberta, British Columbia, and Baja California.
44.
Pat Sajak is an avid fan of the Washington Capitals NHL team.
45.
Pat Sajak is a longtime season-ticket holder and made an on-ice appearance before game three of the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals.
46.
Pat Sajak underwent emergency intestinal surgery to remove a blockage on November 8,2019.