“Wheel of Fortune” aired an episode Monday night that featured a puzzle with the answer “The Fast and the Furious,” just two days after the movie franchise’s star, Paul Walker, died in a fiery car wreck.
While the show was airing, a message ran on the top of the screen that read, “This episode was taped a few weeks ago, prior to the tragic passing of ’The Fast and the Furious’ actor Paul Walker,” TMZ reported.
“Wheel” host Pat Sajak took to Twitter Monday night to express his regret.
“Feel terrible about timing of ’Fast & Furious’ puzzle tonight. Taped long ago & went out to 200 local stations days ago,” he said.
The show also went into damage control on Twitter.
“The show that included the puzzle ’The Fast and The Furious’ was taped on 10/4/13. It’s an unfortunate coincidence that it aired tonight,” the tweet said. “The hearts of everyone at Wheel of Fortune go out to the family, friends & fans of Paul Walker.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.