No one’s perfect, and Pat Sajak certainly knows that better than anyone on the Wheel of Fortune stage. But an interaction with a player has gotten the longtime host of the show into trouble with a number of people who were shocked he appeared to make fun of a contestant’s speech impediment.
The incident happened on Monday’s episode, as Sajak was talking to a contestant named Chris, who had a somewhat audible lisp. Sajak seems to punctuate the conversational aside about his job with a quick “I see” that sounded like he added a lisp to the word “see” as well.
https://twitter.com/nicolegphil/status/1364052726015959040
Chris didn’t react to Sajak’s quick joke, and the show continued on as normal. And it didn’t come up anywhere else in the broadcast. Interestingly, the show posted on Twitter a clip of Sajak addressing something else the contestant said during the interview segment, that he’s “technically” still a newlywed.
What can we say? Pat's a hopeless romantic. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/GWEw3HQVT0
— Wheel of Fortune (@WheelofFortune) February 23, 2021
In the past, Sajak has used that time to clear up any issues with interactions he’s had that may be taken the wrong way, like when he jokingly apologized for scolding a contestant for being “ungrateful.” That would at least, in theory, mean that Sajak didn’t see a problem with apparently joking about the contestant’s speech impediment. But fans certainly noticed, and as the week progressed more people expressed their outrage about the matter.
Thanks for making fun of people with a lisp on tonight’s show you arrogant overpaid jerk – Pat Sajak. Quit now. Maybe if you grew up with a speech impediment you’d understand. #WheelOfFortune #patsajak #speechimpediment #lisp #patsajaksucks
— mcsqueebage (@mcsqueebage) February 21, 2021
https://twitter.com/BillStrippoli/status/1364164807067377666
There's literally not a single time a person copied my lisp to my face that I didn't wish I could disappear on the spot. Please don't do this to anyone ever. 😒 And if you're about to type "I don't even notice your lisp" I promise it's because:
— Kitty ❤️ (@The_Sub_Mission) February 23, 2021
Sajak, who has a handful of tweets that are mostly jokes trapped in late 2000s Twitter, has not addressed the incident just yet. But another Tweet he sent out did get some attention in light of the incident that aired on Monday.
https://twitter.com/patsajak/status/1361814967083794438
Sajak has said he doesn’t care who replaces him on Wheel once he leaves, but for many this week it became clear that he should be replaced sooner rather than later.
