People just loved Pat Sajak, the longtime host of the popular weeknight game show Wheel of Fortune. He retired recently, but was he actually forced out? Is he fuming over the way his departure went down?
Sajak, a boyish-looking 77-year-old, apparently really cared about what he did and we cared about him for 41 amazing years of puzzle-solving fun over some 8,000 episodes according to NBC News. He finally ended his run on June 7. American Idol host Ryan Seacrest will replace him starting in the fall.
Now, however, buzz is going around that Sajak was shown the door rather than ringing the curtain down in his run because he wished to. We looked into the situation and this is what he learned.
Was Pat Sajak Compelled to Retire From Wheel?
There Is Some Talk That He Was Eased Out
Sajak was so folksy-friendly and unflappable. You got the feeling that even if the iconic wheel failed to spin, he would still have that trademark sincere grin and would keep smiling right through the glitch. He seemingly had no big TV star ego.
His co-host, letter-turner Vanna White, looked to be as solidly in Sajak's corner as we were.
So it's hard to imagine that the show's higher-ups would want him gone. That may have been the case, though, according to some published reports.
"A Younger Face" Was Possibly Sought
According to The Mirror via Closer Weekly, that may be what actually happened. There is reportedly some tension between Seacrest and Sajak, possibly due to alleged circumstances surrounding the latter's "forceful retirement."
Word has it that Sajak isn't giving his successor very much assistance on how to smoothly assume his new hosting duties on Wheel due to being miffed at how he was treated.
If Sajak was indeed ordered to make his exit, it might have been because "a younger face" was wanted. Seacrest is 49, nearly 30 years younger than Sajak.
A Source Claims Sajak Was "Kicked Off" Wheel
Sajak Is Supposedly "Resentful"
Closer was reportedly told by a source that Sajak is "clearly resentful of the way he was treated and then kicked off the show."
The source added "It seemed like a forced retirement, at least that's what people were picking up."
Whatever the exact nature of Sajak's leave-taking was, we are sure that Wheel watchers will continue to miss the affable man who spun that famous wheel thousands of times over so many years.
