Pat Sajak: I Was Drunk On Wheel Of Fortune

Pat Sajak, the host of Wheel of Fortune in the United States, has admitted in an interview that he used to host the show whilst he was drunk, along with his on-screen assistant Vanna White. He told ESPN 2 "We had a different show then. ... Vanna and I would have two or three or six [drinks during our two-and-a-half hour dinner break] and then come and do the last shows and have trouble recognizing the alphabet. They're really good tapes to get a hold of."

Although he appeared tongue in cheek for some of the interview, jokingly claiming to be drunk at the time, he did seem to be serious when he said that he and Vanna "would have two or three or six [drinks during our two-and-a-half hour dinner break] and then come and do the last shows and have trouble recognizing the alphabet." He reassured reporters, though, that no such behavior takes place any more. Sajak and White began presenting the show in the early 1980s and continue to do so now. He informed reporters that he was too old to consider presenting the show under the influence any more: "If I were to inhale the cork [from] a bottle of wine, I would probably keel over. I'm getting a little older for this. I would be hesitant to have anything to drink now." Presumably, these days, they can tell whether or not it's the room that's spinning, or the wheel of fortune.

Vanna White is not thought to have commented on Sajak's interview with Dan Le Batard. No doubt there will be a frenzied search for those tapes that Sajak talked about, though, given the attention that the interview has received online.