Pat Sajak is being compared to NFL legend Tom Brady following his Wheel of Fortune retirement.
The 77-year-old TV show legend officially retired as the host of Wheel of Fortune after 41 years on the air.
But it didn’t take long for Wheel watchers to learn that Pat wasn’t quite ready to stay away from the franchise completely.
As Monsters and Critics reported, Pat will return to host Celebrity Wheel of Fortune later this fall.
The news shocked some Wheel watchers, but others weren’t surprised that Pat took a page out of Tom Brady’s playbook.
Football fans know that Tom Brady announced his retirement in 2022, only to return to professional football several weeks later.
Following his 23rd NFL season, Tom announced he was retiring yet again, this time claiming he was retiring for good.
Now, Pat’s critics are complaining that he followed in Tom’s footsteps by returning to the Wheel of Fortune franchise after his June 2024 retirement.
Wheel of Fortune viewers compare Pat Sajak to Tom Brady
On X (formerly Twitter), Wheel of Fortune viewers took aim at Pat for making a career move similar to Tom Brady’s.
“Pat Sajak pulling a Tom Brady,” wrote one X user upon hearing that Pat was returning to the franchise.
Another commenter added, “Pat Sajak channels Tom Brady as a star who just cannot retire.”
@WheelRob10 joked, “Pat Sajak retires from Wheel.”
“Internet: “Noooo! Don’t go, Pat! I won’t ever watch the show with Ryan.”
“Pat Sajak signs on for Celebrity Wheel Season 5.”
“Internet: ‘Ugh can’t he stay retired? I can’t stand him! He’s a right-winger!’ MAKE UP YOUR MIND, PEOPLE,” his post concluded.
One Wheel of Fortune fan accused Pat of coming back to the franchise because of his friendship with his longtime co-host, Vanna White.
“This is your daily reminder that Pat Sajak hasn’t really retired from hosting Wheel Of Fortune yet,” the X user wrote.
“He’ll only do Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, probably until Vanna White’s contract is up in two years. I think it’s obvious he doesn’t want to retire on his own without her.”
One of Pat’s critics voiced, “Paycheck Pat just couldn’t stay away, huh? I thought we were finally done with the old grump.”
@rwmead chimed in, teasing, “‘Pat Sajak? But I thought you quit Wheel of Fortune!'”
“Pat Sajak channels Tom Brady as a star who just cannot retire,” read another post.
Pat Sajak’s critics wanted him to retire early
This isn’t the first time Pat Sajak’s critics have complained about his retirement… or lack thereof.
As Monsters and Critics also reported, Wheel of Fortune viewers moaned that Pat needed to retire earlier than planned during his final season.
Pat was accused of losing his temper more frequently in Season 41 and taking out his frustrations on the contestants.
His behavior troubled many viewers, who called on Pat to retire early due to his on-air shenanigans.
Pat’s return to television and the stage
Not only will Pat return to Celebrity Wheel of Fortune later this year, but he’s slated to appear in a play next year, too.
It seems that while Pat expressed he was looking forward to spending his retirement winding down, he got the itch to return to the entertainment industry after all.
Sources claim that Pat feels “resentful” that he was “forced” into retirement early, so that could be the reason he didn’t stay away from the entertainment industry for too long.