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Clara Hill
Feb 24, 2021

Pat Sajak speaking at the National Association of Broadcasters
Getty Images/Ethan Miller
Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak has sparked a backlash after being accused of mocking a contestant’s speech impediment.
The presenter was criticised online following an interaction with one contestant named Chris Brimble which occurred during Monday’s episode, reports said.
During the friendly chat with Brimble, who speaks with a slight lisp, Sajak concluded the brief interview by saying “I thee” instead of “I see”.
Brimble and the live audience laughed at the quip, but some viewers took to Twitter to voice their anger.
@patsajak Hopefully you learned by your mistake and stop making fun of those with a lisp. As a woman who has lived… https://t.co/UOhvyLHwoP— Lissy Dunning (@Lissy Dunning) 1614080828
@patsajak My husband has a lisp and he would never, EVER make fun of anyone with any kind of speech impediment or m… https://t.co/OUZHdNM6aW— Michelle ST (@Michelle ST) 1614138876
@patsajak How nice for those not born with a cleft lip and palate and a permanent lisp. I am glad you did not and… https://t.co/om9hsgytxs— Lisa Beliakoff Ortiz (@Lisa Beliakoff Ortiz) 1614098580
@patsajak Yes, you clearly made a mistake. You made fun of a man with a lisp without giving it a thought first. S… https://t.co/JTy3dx8u4W— Jonric Jones (@Jonric Jones) 1614098963
Sajak has hosted Wheel of Fortune host since 1981, alongside Vanna White.
The show has yet to respond to a request for comment from The Independent.
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