Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak will appear for his final game show episode Friday.

Sajak, 77, announced he would retire last year after seeing the show’s 41st season through. The final episode was taped in April, and some clips from his farewell speech to viewers were released in advance.

“Well, the time has come to say goodbye,” Sajak said. “I have a few thanks and acknowledgments before I go, and I want to start with all watching out there. It’s been an incredible privilege to be invited into millions of homes night after night, year after year, decade after decade. 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.”

Sajak said he has seen a greater impact the show has left on viewers since his contract began in 1989. He watched it become “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 play even a small part in all of that,” Sajak said. “Thank you for allowing me into your lives.”

While on the show, Sajak’s daughter Maggie has occasionally co-starred. She sat down with her father to discuss his legacy in a series of video clips released to YouTube in advance of his retirement.

“The show means the world to us, it’s been such a gift,” she told her father. “You have made what could have just been Hangman into a cultural phenomenon.”

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“I can’t believe that tomorrow is our last show together,” co-star Vanna White said in another farewell recording to Sajak after their combined 8,000 episodes together. “I don’t know how to put into words what these past 41 years have meant to me. … You’re like a brother to me, and I consider you a true lifelong friend who I will always adore. I love you, Pat.”

Ryan Seacrest will host the 42nd season. White is set to remain with the show until at least 2026.