SNARKY SAJAK HAS WHEEL OVER BARREL!
Execs too scared to put short-time host on a leash
PRICKLY Pat Sajak has terrified bosses at Wheel of Fortune tiptoeing on eggshells, fearing the bitter star’s a touchy time bomb, who’ll explode the show into total chaos if they try to keep him on a leash as he finishes his final days, sources snitch.
Insiders dish the 77-yearold quiz show legend, who now has just a handful of tapings left before Ryan Seacrest takes over as host after 43 years, will have no qualms lighting fires on his way out the door.
“The situation is bosses at Sony Television don’t want to get into any public fights with the guy and are just letting him do his thing, even if his jokes and asides are getting noticeably spicier and more caustic by the day,” spills an insider.
“It’s a tricky balance because he also makes tons more money than them even though they’re technically supposed to be in charge.
“But Pat will not be put on a leash. At the top of Sony, the feeling is, ‘Let Pat do what he wants during his final weeks,’ and ‘Let’s not give him any pushback, because he could bite our heads off or walk off the set!’
“It’s the equivalent of a total surrender.”
According to the tipster, this highly abnormal situation is reminiscent of David Letterman’s departure from his NBC Late Night job 30 years ago, where he had no reason to listen to the executives and, in fact, didn’t as he was headed off for greener pastures at CBS.
“The assumption is Pat is just going to retire and not do much after the Wheel run ends in a couple of months, but I wouldn’t be so sure,” warns the insider. “He is as feisty as ever, and still calm and totally unafraid on-air.
“Let’s see where he REALLY goes after this!”
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