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What to know about Pat Sajak and his family
By Yi-Jin Yu,
2024-06-03
As Pat Sajak gets ready to retire from " Wheel of Fortune " after 41 seasons, the longtime host will have more time to spend with his family.
Sajak started hosting "Wheel of Fortune" in 1981 following a career in broadcasting and news and has since also become a coordinating producer on the long-running TV game show. He also began hosting "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune" since it launched in 2021.
Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images - PHOTO: Pat Sajak on the set of Wheel of Fortune, Aug. 31, 2022.
Get to know Pat Sajak and his family below.
Lesly Brown
Michael Loccisano/FilmMagic via Getty Images - PHOTO: Pat Sajak and Lesly Brown Sajak attend the "Perfect Stranger" New York City Premiere in New York City.
Sajak tied the knot with his wife Lesly Brown in 1989 and the couple have been married for much of Sajak's tenure on the "Wheel of Fortune."
"Speaking of contracts, I signed one a long time ago with this beautiful woman – my wife, Lesly. We're about to celebrate anniversary number …," Sajak said while introducing Brown.
"Thirty," Brown replied, adding there were "a lot" of "Wheel" episodes filmed during that period.
Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images - PHOTO: 2012 Pat Sajak and his son Patrick Michael attend the NHL Winter Classic, January 2, 2012, in Philadelphia.
Sajak and Brown welcomed their first child, a son named Patrick in 1990.
Patrick and his younger sister Maggie both re-enacted a "Wheel of Fortune" closer as kids in 2000, with Maggie pretending to be co-host Vanna White and Patrick assuming their dad's hosting role. "Wheel of Fortune" shared a look back at the cute close in 2020.
"So, Patrick, did Daddy give you any advice [on] how to do a close tonight?" Maggie asked her brother.
"Well, he did say one thing. Don't be funnier than he is," Patrick quipped in response. "How about you, Maggie? Did Vanna give you any advice?"
"Don't be funnier than Daddy is," Maggie replied.
"Well, she did tell me to say this – bye bye!" she added.
Paul Morigi/Getty Images - PHOTO: Maggie Sajak attends the 2023 American Valor: A Salute to Our Heroes event Nov. 4, 2023, in Washington.
Five years after Sajak and Brown welcomed their first child, they welcomed their second child – a daughter they named Maggie.
Maggie Sajak graduated from Princeton University and is finishing law school at Columbia University. She made her debut on "Wheel of Fortune" as a one-year-old, tagging along with her father onto set.
Courtesy Maggie Sajak - PHOTO: A young Maggie Sajak accompanies her father Pat Sajak on the "Wheel of Fortune" set. Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images - PHOTO: Pat Sajak and his daughter Maggie Sajak on the set of Wheel of Fortune, Oct. 7, 2022.
She officially joined the show as its social correspondent in 2021, providing behind-the-scenes content for viewers, including guest interviews and sneak peeks.
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