Pat Sajak Facing Backlash After Tweet About Stay-At-Home Orders
By Dave Basner
May 19, 2020
While Wheel of Fortune has suspended production in the wake of the global pandemic, host Pat Sajak has been keeping busy on Twitter, but a recent tweet has a lot of people unhappy with him. In it, Pat gave his opinion on the stay-at-home orders still in place in most states to protect their residents from COVID-19 by slowing the virus' spread. He explained how he thinks it is hypocritical for people who are employed and pulling in a paycheck from their houses to suggest that anyone unemployed stay at home.
Sajak wrote, "When a disc jockey or a talk show host or a journalist who is being paid to work from his or her home tells people who can’t work, pay bills or pay their rent or mortgage to ‘Stay home and be careful because we’re all in this together,’ it’s okay to question the premise."
When a disc jockey or a talk show host or a journalist who is being paid to work from his or her home tells people who can’t work, pay bills or pay their rent or mortgage to “Stay home and be careful because we’re all in this together,” it’s okay to question the premise.
— Pat Sajak (@patsajak) May 16, 2020
Since a major purpose of the stay-at-home orders is to prevent older residents, who are more susceptible to COVID-19, from contracting it, and because so many people have died from the virus already, the 73-year-old Sajak's tweet rubbed some of his followers the wrong way. They let him know it in the replies:
Yes Pat, a man who makes $12-$15 million per year by telling a woman when to spin a wheel can really relate to those out of work, not receiving a paycheck because you still get yours , then turn around and attack the media for doing their job , trying to keep people safe🙄
— Nance 🦋🌊🦋 (@solusnan1) May 17, 2020
When a game show host who has 10s of millions in bank and is still getting paid tells people to go out and ignore a novel virus, its ok to question the premise
— Brooklyn Mind (@brklynmind) May 16, 2020
Agreed. But same goes for the disk jockey or talk show host who is being paid to work from his or her home (and has NO plans on venturing out), also telling people to "Go outside and socialize like its normal, because this is all a big hoax".
— 𝕿𝖊𝖘𝖙 🔬 𝕿𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖊 🔍 & 𝕴𝖘𝖔𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖊 🤒 (@xandergomez) May 16, 2020
Listen to science only.
I get the feeling we wont see Pat volunteering at hospitals or stocking shelves at the grocery store. He is safe at home tweeting BS and will stay there. Hey Pat maybe demand our government use our tax dollars to help these people instead of handing billions to corporations.
— Tina Leigh (@Tinaleigh777) May 18, 2020
Oh this is why quit following you. Stick to game shows please. Obvs we need to reopen businesses, but too many are not aware or refuse to believe the asymptomatic SPREAD disease & it's a crapshoot who lives.
— It'll be fine! (@Meems) May 16, 2020
Those who follow Sajak are aware that he can get opinionated in his tweets. In fact, a few years ago he created a small firestorm when he wrote, "I now believe global warming alarmists are unpatriotic racists knowingly misleading for their own ends. Good night."
You can follow him here.
Photo: Getty Images