Tuesday marked Pat Sajak's 40th anniversary on "Wheel of Fortune" but fans are up in arms over how the iconic game show failed to commemorate the milestone.
Sajak first mentioned the big day on Twitter on Dec. 24.
"What a week! Dec 25 … Christmas Day. Dec 28 … 40th anniversary of my first ‘Wheel’ on NBC daytime. Dec 31 … 32nd wedding anniversary. Jan 1 … 2022 begins. And it almost has to be better than 2021, doesn’t it? Well, doesn’t it?" he wrote.
"When I started hosting ‘Wheel’ (with Susan Stafford) on this date 40 years ago, the top 10 TV shows included ‘Dallas,’ ‘Three’s Company,’ ‘The Jeffersons’ and ‘The Dukes of Hazzard,’" Sajak continued in a separate tweet. "Ronald Reagan was in his 1st year as president. Number 1 song: Olivia Newton-John’s ‘Physical.'"
Social media was buzzing with words of congratulations. Among his well-wishers was Sajak's daughter Maggie.
"Happy 40th Wheel-iversary to this guy! On this day in 1981, @patsajak hosted his very first episode of @WheelofFortune …and the rest is history!" she wrote alongside a throwback photo of Sajak.
Fans however grew irritated when Tuesday's episode of "Wheel of Fortune" failed to make mention of its host's anniversary.
"Wow! No mention of Pat’s 40th year on #WheelofFortune tonight?" one fan tweeted.
"WOW! Not one mention of Pat Sajak's 40 year anniversary on last night's Wheel of Fortune??? This is unacceptable," another tweeted.
"From what I’ve seen, today marks 40 years since @PatSajak first made his debut on @WheelofFortune … I’m curious if Wheel is going to post anything about it?" a third wrote in a tweet.
According to Entertainment Tonight, episodes of "Wheel of Fortune" are filmed months in advance meaning that Tuesday's episode was likely filmed long before Sajak's 40th anniversary.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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