With the unlikely emergence of late-night talk show hosts as a beacon of dissent from Trump’s vision for America, many have been compelled to examine the role celebrity plays in shaping the current political landscape. Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Samantha Bee, and John Oliver have taken their gloves off at the risk of alienating their fan bases to speak up for what is right. It’s their right — and some might even say obligation — to do so as Americans.
However, “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak — who helmed his own far less successful talk show decades ago — doesn’t have to like it. On Twitter, the conservative evangelical has time and again acted like it’s his right and obligation to shut down celebrity voices that happen to echo the sentiments of the left. In a tweet that serves to discredit the celebrity outrage over gun control in the wake of the Las Vegas shootings, Sajak, a celebrity himself, offered up a very meta reminder that celebrity opinions shouldn’t matter one iota.
Over the years, Sajak, has bizarrely peppered his Twitter timeline with reminders that Hollywood as a social institution deserves nothing more than mockery should its members ever focus their thoughts and resources on progress. Earlier this year, likely fueled by awards season speeches, Sajak fired off several tweets serving only to discount what Hollywood says because, well, it’s Hollywood saying it.
Sajak’s political leanings are no secret. The “Wheel of Fortune” host has cemented himself firmly on the right through his affiliation with the conservative publisher Salem Eagle and serving on the board of directors at the Claremont Institute, which prides itself on “recovering the American ideal.” His political pedigree notwithstanding, it seems that Sajak, a celebrity using his platform and station to advance his thoughts and agenda, doesn’t hate the general idea of celebrities “speaking up,” but rather the notion of liberal Hollywood threatening his more conservative beliefs.
Sajak seems willing to ignore the distinction by targeting the manner in which celebrities vocalize their beliefs, however innocuous or nonpartisan they may be. The man who has hosted “Wheel of Fortune” since 1982 appears to find the fact that celebs are speaking up on their shows as the real trespass.
Of course, he’s been hosting the same show, watched by many of the same people, for 35 years, so perhaps someone should tell him times might be a little different now. He’s on Twitter, after all.
