Pat Sajak, trending for all the right reasons
Rob Long
When someone is listed as “Trending” on Twitter, it usually means one of two things: Either the person has done something outrageously mortifying or the person has died. Trending on Twitter, in other words, is rarely good news. So, last week, when I should have been working but was instead scrolling through Twitter, I was shocked to see that my old friend Pat Sajak, longtime host of television’s most popular game show, Wheel of Fortune, was “trending.” “Uh oh,” I thought.
The first thing I did was confirm that Pat Sajak is indeed alive and well, which, thank God, he is. The second thing I did was wonder what scandalous or humiliating thing he might have done to earn the #patsajaktrending hashtag. Pat is charming and wry on television, witty and sharp in person, but never less than a gentleman. The usual reasons for a celebrity suddenly trending on Twitter — leaked sex tape, nudes, airport meltdown, ethnically charged online rant — seemed impossible, very off-brand for a man who has graciously hosted thousands of episodes of Wheel and given away millions of dollars. I have known Pat for a couple of decades, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard him curse. (Well, once. But it was for a joke, and it was hilarious. Pat is a very funny man.)
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Pat Sajak, as most of us now know, was trending for this reason: After 40 years hosting Wheel of Fortune, 40 years of weekly half-hour shows, 40 years of dependably appearing on our television sets, 40 years of appealing to multiple generations who would watch Wheel of Fortune in the most old-fashioned way, together, Pat Sajak announced his retirement. This season of Wheel of Fortune will be his last.
Pat is 76, so it’s not like he hasn’t earned his retirement. On the other hand, as Pat will remind anyone and everyone, he plays Hangman on television for a living. So, it’s not exactly like hanging up his miner’s hat and resting his weary back. The production schedule for a daily game show is compressed into monthly spurts, which gives the on-screen talent lots of free time. Pat could easily have turned in another decade of service at the Wheel. But I’m happy for him that he’s retiring on top.
And yet, though I was grateful to know that my friend is OK, and especially grateful that I wasn’t about to click a link and see his sex tape, I was sad for the rest of us.
Pat Sajak is one of the great broadcasters of television. Born in Chicago in tough circumstances, Pat joined the Army and served as a disc jockey in Vietnam. When he returned stateside, he restarted his radio career, moved into television, and eventually became one of the most famous and beloved television hosts of his generation.
Pat Sajak is a patriot. He has written and spoken about his life, a distinctly American success story, and guided political and cultural institutions he cares about. Pat’s a conservative — I don’t think he makes that a secret — but he’s a happy one. A gracious one. A thoughtful one. Pat and I have spent happy hours talking politics, movies, comedy, American culture, and I can’t remember a moment when he was less than witty and thoughtful and generous to those who disagree with him.
Well, once. And boy, was it hilarious.
Here’s the best way to put it: Pat Sajak is not a jerk. Not even close. Pat is a man with deeply held convictions about America and the direction it needs to go in, but you wouldn’t know it if you watched Wheel of Fortune for the past 40 years. When people put things on hats and T-shirts that would have been unthinkable a few years ago, when people scream angry slogans on television and Twitter, I can’t help but think of Pat, smiling in his perfectly tailored suit, spinning the wheel and making affable small talk with decades of contestants, doing his job with humor and generosity even when the idiot guessing the puzzle buys a vowel when the answer is obvious.
So, we will miss Pat, which sounds way too grim, when I read it back. We’ll miss Pat Sajak, host of Wheel of Fortune. But Pat Sajak, American citizen, isn’t going anywhere. Pat Sajak is trending for all of the right reasons. Let’s hope that someday, the gentleness, humor, patriotism, grace, and wit he embodies will be trending, too.
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Rob Long is a television writer and producer, including as a screenwriter and executive producer on Cheers, and he is the co-founder of Ricochet.com.