Pat Sajak “surprisingly agreed” before the end of “Wheel of Fortune.”

Pat Sajak wasn’t too upset about leaving “Wheel of Fortune” after hosting the game show for more than 40 years. Days before his final episode aired, Sajak said: “I’m surprisingly fine.

This was announced a long time ago, almost a year ago. “I’ve had time to get used to it,” the 77-year-old longtime TV personality told his daughter Maggie Sajak in a recent interview.

The father-daughter duo reflected on Pat Sajak’s “great” tenure and the impending conclusion of “Wheel of Fortune” in a conversation published Monday by “Good morning America.“Sad” over his career, he will host his final episode of “Wheel” on Friday, when the game show concludes its 41st season.

Sajak announced his retirement last June, and wrote on the X website (formerly Twitter) that the current season would be his last. He began his tenure on “Wheel of Fortune” in 1981, succeeding original host Chuck Woolery.

“It has been a wonderful journey, and I will have more to say in the coming months. Thank you all so much,” Sajak said in his June 2023 letter.

During his tenure, Sajak entertained generations of fans, inspired jokes on “Saturday Night Live” and “South Park” and generated numerous headlines over his behavior with contestants. He told his daughter: “We have become part of popular culture… and more importantly, we have become part of people’s lives.”

Less than a month after Sajak announced his retirement, Ryan Seacrest announced he would be taking over as manager. At the time, Seacrest praised his predecessor for the way he “always celebrated the contestants and made viewers feel at home.”

With a successor already in place, co-host and letter-changer Vanna White set to remain on “Wheel of Fortune” for the next two years, Sajak said he’s looking forward to time “with crossword puzzles” and my family. He could continue hosting the show if he wanted but told his daughter that he wanted to exit the series on his own terms.

“I would rather leave a few years early than a few years late,” he said, adding, “I look forward to everything that comes next.”

Wheel of Fortune social correspondent Maggie Sajak concluded their conversation by telling her father that Wheel of Fortune was a “gift.” She also praised his lasting television legacy.

“She turned what could have been just a hangman into a cultural phenomenon,” she said. “Thank you for these amazing 40 years.”

The “Wheel of Fortune” Season 41 finale, titled “Thanks for the Memories,” airs Friday at 7:30 PM on KABC-7.