Pat Sajak delivers emotional farewell in his final 'Wheel of Fortune' episode: 'Thank you for allowing me into your lives'

• Friday marks Pat Sajak's final episode as host of "Wheel of Fortune."
• Sajak hosted the show for 41 seasons in syndication, starting in 1983, totaling over 8,000 episodes.
• Ryan Seacrest will succeed Sajak as host this fall.

After over 40 seasons as the host of "Wheel of Fortune," Pat Sajak will spin the wheel for a final time on Friday's episode, airing at 7:30 p.m. ET.

According to a preview clip, Sajak will deliver a moving farewell address to the generations of fans of the show in the episode. Here's what he will say (via Variety):

"I have a few thanks and acknowledgments before I go," Sajak said in the footage, sporting a dark suit and navy blue tie as he addressed the camera. "And I want to start with all of you watching out there. It's been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes, night after night, decade after decade. And I always felt that the privilege came with the responsibility to keep this daily half-hour a safe place for family fun. No social issues. No politics. Nothing embarrassing, I hope. Just a game. But gradually, it became more than that."

Sajak continued: "A place where kids learned their letters, where people from other countries honed their English skills, where families came together along with friends and neighbors and entire generations. What an honor to have played even a small part in all that. Thank you for allowing me into your lives."

Sajak announced his retirement last spring. He hosted "Wheel" for its entire 41 seasons in syndication, beginning in 1981 —that's over 8,000 episodes.

During his tenure, he was nominated at the Daytime Emmys 19 times in the outstanding game show host category and has won three times. In 2019, he received the Guinness World Record for longest-serving game show host of the same show, beating out legendary "Price Is Right" host Bob Barker.

Ryan Seacrest will take over as host this fall.