#Vanna White gets emotional saying farewell to ‘brother’ Pat Sajak in new video

Vanna White is bidding an emotional farewell to Pat Sajak ahead of Sajak’s last episode as the host of “Wheel of Fortune” on June 7.

White struggled to hold back tears in a candid pretaped tribute to Sajak that the game show posted June 6 on YouTube.

“I can’t believe that tomorrow is our last show together,” White, 67, says in the video. “I don’t know how to put into words what these past 41 years have meant to me, but I’m going to try.

“Eight thousand episodes went by like that,” she continues, snapping her fingers, before throwback footage of the two plays on screen. “When I first started, I was so green. You made me so comfortable, and made me so confident, Pat. You made me who I am. You really did.”

White, who’s been on the show since 1982, goes on to recount how the longtime co-stars have “grown up on television” together.

“But we’ve also shared so much more behind the scenes. And as much fun as we had on camera, those memories, milestones and life events we shared with our families outside the studio are my favorite,” she says.

“We’ve watched our children grow up together, we’ve traveled all over the world, we’ve eaten hundreds of meals together, we’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve celebrated. Oh, gosh, what an incredible and unforgettable journey we’ve had,” White continues, her voice breaking as her eyes fill with tears.

“And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it with you,” she adds, taking a deep breath.

“As this chapter of our lives is coming to an end, I know you’ll still be close by. You’re like a brother to me and I consider you a true lifelong friend who I will always adore. I love you, Pat,” she concludes, blowing Sajak a kiss with her hands.

The video then pulls back to show Sajak and White watching White’s tribute together on the “Wheel of Fortune” set.

“Oh, my,” Sajak says after White’s video ends. The pair then share a sweet embrace.

White, who signed a contract extension to remain on the program through the 2025-2026 season, revealed in a recent interview that she has thought about leaving the program, but isn’t sure when she will walk away from it.

“I don’t know. When I heard that Pat was retiring, I thought maybe I should retire too. But I’m not ready!” she told TV Insider. “We’ll see toward the end of those two years how I feel. I thank God after all these years that I still love my job.”

White says she has a lot of feelings about him saying goodbye to the show.

“I can’t describe how I feel,” she said. “I feel happy for him. I can’t imagine doing the show without him after 41 years. I sum it up as (like) reading a good book. It always has to end. This has been the best book I’ve ever read.”

Sajak, who has been with “Wheel of Fortune” since 1981, announced in June 2023 that this 41st current season of “Wheel of Fortune” will be his final one. Later that month, it was announced that Ryan Seacrest will take over the reins from him.

White is grateful she has gotten to star on the show.

“I never would have thought that this would turn into a 40-plus-year job,” she said. “I’m happy that I am myself (on the show). I don’t play a character. I am who I am. It’s a fun show that everybody of all ages enjoys. We give money away!”

White also credits Sajak for helping her get through her first day on the job, when she was nervous.

“(He said), ‘Calm down, it’s going to be OK.’ I was just a little old girl from North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, wanting to be on TV from the time I was 10,” she said.

“He made me feel comfortable in front of a camera. He was my teacher.”

White has previously discussed the day when she would no longer be on the show.

“I don’t even want to think about that. I mean, we’re a team,” she told People in 2022 about the possibility of not working with Sajak. “That’s depressing. I don’t even want to think about it.”

“I just visualize us just being there. I can’t think beyond that,” she added.

White also said the notion that “Wheel of Fortune” could exist without her and Sajak is hard to grasp.

“I can’t imagine. Everybody relates ‘Wheel of Fortune’ to Pat and Vanna. We’re like Ken and Barbie, you know?” she said.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com