Pat Sajak grew up with no showbiz connections in a gritty part of Chicago. So how did he rise to become the face of "Wheel of Fortune"? From war time disc jockey to iconic game show host, Sajak's transformation took years of hard work.
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00:00Pat Sajak grew up with no showbiz connections in a gritty part of Chicago,
00:05so how did he rise to become the face of Wheel of Fortune? From wartime disc jockey to iconic
00:11game show host, Sajak's transformation took years of hard work. Pat Sajak grew up on the
00:17west side of Chicago. He lived in an industrial part of town, where his parents made a lower
00:23middle-class living and divorced during his youth. He found his escape through broadcast
00:28television at an early age, watching Jack Parr on The Tonight Show in the late 50s and early 60s.
00:34None of his relatives were associated with show business, yet the future television personality
00:40was drawn to the industry nonetheless. He said in a 2012 interview with the Hoover Institution,
00:46"...I would sneak out of bed at night, not to go out with the guys or grab a beer,
00:50but it was to turn on The Tonight Show and see what Jack was up to."
00:53"...but I always wanted to be in broadcasting in some way."
00:56In 1967, Sajak joined the U.S. Army and was later sent to Vietnam during the war.
01:02The future game show host worked as a DJ for the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service,
01:08helping entertain the many soldiers and provide them with the latest worldwide news.
01:12He was originally trained as a clerk typist, but his communication skills had him transferred to
01:18Saigon to work as a disc jockey, the same job he had before enlisting. Sajak recalled feeling
01:24privileged during his service, which included staying in a hotel with plenty of nearby
01:29establishments. He wrote in a 2014 United Service Organization's blog post,
01:35"...I used to feel a bit guilty about my relatively soft duty, but I always felt a
01:40little better when I met guys who came into town from the field and thanked us for bringing them
01:44a little bit of home."
01:46After being discharged from the Army in 1970, Sajak accepted a job with NBC's local Nashville
01:53station, WSM. He worked as a DJ on the radio station and sometimes filled in for news anchors
02:00on the television channel. So when a position opened up for the station's weekend weatherman,
02:04Sajak was chosen for the spot. Sajak's colleagues fondly remember him as the one who would crack
02:10jokes in the newsroom, and even during segments. Former WSMV4 sports director Rudy Kalis recalled
02:18one night when Sajak was working as the booth announcer and tried his hand at comedic relief
02:23when the camera cut back to him on commercial breaks. Kalis recalled,
02:27"...he got so tired of doing it, because he would have to be here until midnight,
02:31that he would sit in his seat and go down further and further and further.
02:35So all of the sudden, all you saw was the top of his head."
02:39"...and he said the reason he did that was just to see if management was watching."
02:44Despite the shenanigans, Sajak did so well in Nashville that he eventually
02:48turned heads in Los Angeles. He took a weatherman position with the local NBC affiliate,
02:53KNBC, in 1977, and even got a fan letter from his former idol, Jack Parr,
03:00who had become one of his viewers at the time.
03:03While working the weather report in Los Angeles, Sajak caught the attention of Merv Griffin,
03:08the man behind Wheel of Fortune. When the latter needed a replacement after its original host,
03:14Chuck Woolery, left the show in 1981, Griffin put in a good word for Sajak to NBC studio heads,
03:21and he ended up taking Woolery's former spot. Wheel of Fortune involved taking
03:25different contestants through word puzzles and Hangman-like games to score prizes.
03:30While the 30-minute game show was first broadcast for daytime television,
03:35it eventually was added to nighttime syndication as well, and would go on to gain enormous
03:40popularity. Sajak attracted a huge fan base, and hosting the show led to several other gigs
03:46on television. He was one of the Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade co-hosts from 1984 to 1986,
03:53and also hosted The Pat Sajak Show in 1989. In the 90s, he used his platform to create his
04:00own broadcasting company, Sajak Broadcasting Corporation, where he licensed local radio
04:05stations, like the ones he worked at in his youth as a disc jockey.
04:10Vanna White joined forces with Sajak as his Wheel of Fortune co-host in 1982. While they have become
04:16one of the most-loved television duos of all time, their relationship wasn't always seamless.
04:22When White made her debut, Sajak didn't expect her to last long,
04:26admittingly misjudging her from the start. In an interview with the Television Academy Foundation,
04:32Sajak said he thought White was a terrible choice for the job.
04:36Eventually, White proved Sajak wrong and got more and more comfortable on air.
04:40The two co-hosts began to have an incredible friendship on and off screen,
04:45going on to be part of each other's lives for the next 40 years. White told Fox News in 2019,
04:51Believe it or not, Pat Sajak and I have only had one argument in 36 years,
04:57and that was over putting ketchup on a hot dog. While the two may have jokingly
05:01leaned into romance rumors over the years, they've also shot them down.
05:05Sajak told the Television Academy Foundation,
05:08"[We get along real well now, and there's no point in pushing that."
05:12White shared just how in sync they are in 2023, telling Good Morning America,
05:17I know everything about him. I know when he walks in,
05:20when he's walking up the stairs, if he's in a good mood or a bad mood."
05:23Sajak met his first wife, Cheryl, in 1978, and they tied the knot a year later. The two
05:29ultimately divorced in 1986 and went their respective ways. The former Wheel of Fortune
05:35host met his second wife, Leslie Brown, in 1988, after meeting through Friends & Common.
05:41Despite their 19-year age difference, the two quickly struck up a friendship,
05:46which turned into a romance. A year after their first meeting, the two tied the knot.
05:51Brown is no stranger to show business, either, and she even posed for the likes of Playboy
05:56in the late 80s. She also has a similar interest in television to her husband,
06:00and had already received her bachelor's degree in television production from the
06:05University of Maryland before meeting him. While Brown has had a few guest spots on
06:09Wheel of Fortune, she's happy to take a backseat to her husband's bustling career.
06:14After raising her and Sajak's two children, Brown went on to work as a professional photographer.
06:20Sajak and Brown welcomed their first child, Patrick, in 1990, followed by their daughter,
06:26Maggie, in 1995. Ever since their births, Sajak has brought them along, featuring them on the show
06:32or taking them to visit the set throughout their childhood. While America may have fallen in love
06:37with Sajak as a game show host, he made it a point to brag about his kids on Wheel of Fortune
06:42in the years to come. When Patrick graduated from medical school in 2021,
06:47Sajak congratulated him on the show, saying,
06:50"...my son Patrick, you've known him all his life, and he's made it through medical school,
06:55and he is now officially Dr. Sajak."
06:59Maggie became a big part of the Wheel of Fortune family as well, and even took on White's job as
07:04co-host while her father underwent surgery in 2019. In 2021, she assumed the role of
07:11social correspondent for the game show. Maggie looks back on her childhood days at Wheel of
07:16Fortune with fondness. She even posted an Instagram photo of her father walking her
07:21around on set as a toddler, writing,
07:23"'Happy birthday to my dad. Thanks for leading me through life.'"
07:27Sajak underwent emergency surgery in 2019 after a morning walk had him doubling over in pain.
07:34The game show host recounted the experience to Good Morning America,
07:38discussing how an intestinal blockage led to his operation.
07:42"...I had this horrific pain in my stomach. Within two and a half hours, I was in surgery."
07:49The host revealed that a blocked intestine led to a sharp decrease in his blood pressure,
07:54which could have become fatal had he not gone in for surgery so quickly.
07:58The scary incident had Sajak missing work for the first time in 40 years. Sajak remembered
08:04his medically-induced days, telling Good Morning America,
08:08"...in the background I could hear my wife and daughter talking. It sounded like they
08:12were a mile off, but they were right next to me. They were talking to each other. And I remember
08:16thinking, not in a morbid way, I think this must be death. This must be what death is like."
08:22Thankfully, the game show host made a full recovery and was back on the show
08:26after taking a month off to recover. He joked on Good Morning America,
08:31"...I still have my wits about me. They didn't remove that,
08:34so I'll be selling bottles for a long time."
08:37After snagging the Guinness World Records title for the longest-running host of a single game
08:42show, Sajak announced his retirement after 41 years with Wheel of Fortune.
08:47He relayed the news on X in 2023, writing,
08:51"...well, the time has come. I've decided that our 41st season,
08:55which begins in September, will be my last. It's been a wonderful ride,
09:00and I'll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all."
09:04Sajak's final episode on the show in 2024 was filled with emotions,
09:08including Vanna White's tearful goodbye to her longtime colleague. White gushed,
09:14"...you made me who I am. You really did. You're like a brother to me,
09:19and I consider you a true, lifelong friend."
09:23While Sajak will no longer tell new contestants to spin that wheel, he has thousands of heartfelt
09:29memories with the people he encountered, and the lives he changed throughout his career.
09:33During his final episode, the game show host admitted he joined the show with intentions
09:38of it being a carefree 30 minutes of family fun, but never imagined the true impact it would have.
09:45He shared,
09:46"...gradually it became more than that. A place where kids learn their letters,
09:50where people from other countries hone their English skills, where families came together
09:55along with friends and neighbors and entire generations.
09:58What an honor to have played even a small part in all that."
10:03"...thank you for allowing me into your lives."
10:06Sajak won't be making his nightly run on Wheel of Fortune anymore,
10:10meaning he's got a lot of free time in the future. The former Wheel of Fortune host
10:15sat down with his daughter Maggie for an interview about what's next,
10:19saying he's open to whatever life throws at him,
10:22especially if it means his family could be expanding. He joked to Maggie,
10:26"...but I'm perfectly happy if it just means that I'll continue with my crossword puzzles and
10:31play with grandchildren, hint, hint, hint. No pressure."
10:34As for whether or not he's officially retired, the door isn't exactly closed. He said,
10:40"...for me to do anything else, it would have to be something special."
10:43While Sajak hung up his hosting hat, White extended her contract with the show,
10:48and she will continue at the letterboard in his absence.
10:51Ryan Seacrest has taken over as host, with his inaugural season having started September 2024.
10:58The American Idol host took to Instagram following Sajak's farewell,
11:02posting a photo of himself along with him and Vanna White in a tribute. He wrote in the caption,
11:08"...Pat, congratulations on an incredible run with Wheel of Fortune. Your partnership with
11:13Vanna has been nothing short of iconic, and together,
11:16you've created countless wonderful memories for viewers."