Pat Sajak

"Sajak" redirects here. For his daughter, the country singer, see Maggie Sajak. For others with a similar surname, see Sajdak.

Pat Sajak
Sajak in 2011
Born
Patrick Leonard Sajdak

(1946-10-26) October 26, 1946 (age 78)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Alma materColumbia College Chicago
Occupations
Years active1968–present
Notable credit(s)Wheel of Fortune (1981–2024)
The Pat Sajak Show (1989–1990)
Political partyRepublican[1][2]
Spouses
  • Sherrill Sajak
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1979; div. 1986)​
  • Lesly Brown
    ​
    (m. 1989)​
Children2; including Maggie
Military career
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUS Army
Years of service1968–1969
RankSpecialist 5th Class
Battles / warsVietnam War

Patrick Leonard Sajak (/ˈseɪdʒæk/ SAY-jak; né Sajdak,[3] born October 26, 1946) is an American consultant, former television personality, and game show host. He is best known as the host of the television game show Wheel of Fortune, a position which he held from 1981 to 2024. Sajak currently serves as a consultant for the show.[4] For his work on Wheel, Sajak has received 19 nominations for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host, winning thrice, and twice nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Game Show, winning in 2024. In 2019, he was recognized by Guinness World Records for having the longest-serving career as a game show host for the same show, surpassing previous record holder Bob Barker.

Beyond his game show career, Sajak has made various appearances in films, television series, and game shows, such as Airplane II: The Sequel, Days of Our Lives, and Rugrats. He also 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.

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.co. He is also the author of several puzzle games, including "Lucky Letters", developed in collaboration with puzzle developer David L. Hoyt. As of 2021, Sajak has also been credited as a Consulting Producer of Wheel of Fortune and hosts Prime Time Celebrity Wheel of Fortune on ABC alongside Vanna White.

  1. ^ Sajak, Pat (April 29, 2008). "The Left's Demonization of Hillary Clinton". Human Events. Retrieved April 30, 2022. not as a Conservative Republican delighted with the disarray on the Democratic side (which I am)
  2. ^ Elliot, Danielle (May 21, 2014). "Pat Sajak sparks Twitter backlash with 'unpatriotic racists' comment on climate change". CBS News. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020. he said he is a 'Conservative Republican ...'
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference TVGuide was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Pat Sajak Announces His Retirement from 'Wheel of Fortune' After 41 Seasons: 'The Time Has Come'".