For years, Pat Sajak has brought a unique sense of humor to Wheel of Fortune, but he seems to have crossed a line on Monday night when he mocked a contestant’s speech impediment. After a brief Q&A with Chris Brimble, Sajak jokingly mimicked the contestant’s lisp, a bit that fell flat with viewers at home. Some fans even called for the longtime Wheel of Fortune host’s resignation, with one writing, “You arrogant overpaid jerk … Quit now.”
Sajak’s uncomfortable moment came during the contestant introduction portion of Monday’s episode. After directing a few questions to contestant Chris Brimble, who said that he works for a company that sells “technology that benefits older adults,” Sajak asked if it’s “a myth” that older adults are resistant to new technology.
“You’d be surprised how open they are,” said the contestant. “Ah, I thee,” replied Sajak. He could have easily just said “I see” and not been rude, but sure, make fun of the guy’s lisp.
Luckily for Sajak, Brimble and the show’s production crew laughed at his attempted joke, but viewers at home didn’t find it quite as funny. Almost immediately, fans took to Twitter to call out the Wheel of Fortune host, with many blasting Sajak’s bit as “appalling and disgraceful” and incredibly out of touch in the year 2021.
“Maybe if you grew up with a speech impediment you’d understand,” wrote one viewer, alongside a #PatSajakSucks hashtag. “Did Pat Sajak just mock one of the contestants??” asked another viewer. “How in the world [are you] allowing Pat Sajak to keep his job after that?” said another.
For his part, Sajak has yet to address the controversy or issue an apology to contestant Chris Brimble and the Wheel of Fortune fan base. Yeah, probably best to get ahead of this one, Pat.
Decider has reached out to Wheel of Fortune producer Sony Pictures Entertainment, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
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Originally published at https://decider.com/2021/02/23/pat-sajak-wheel-of-fortune-mocks-lisp/ on .
