Chuck Woolery, the host of iconic game shows such as Love Connection and Wheel of Fortune, and later a conservative podcast host who backed Donald Trump, has died at the age of 83.
His podcast co-host Mark Young confirmed Sunday that Woolery had passed away at his Texas home with his wife, Kristen, by his side.
Known for his quick wit and signature “two and two” sign-off, Woolery hosted several television staples, earning a daytime Emmy nomination in 1978 and a place in the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007. He began his career as the first host of Wheel of Fortune in 1975, later making Love Connection a pop culture phenomenon during its 11-season run.
Woolery also dabbled in music, achieving a Top 40 hit with his band The Avant-Garde before transitioning to TV. He is survived by his wife and three children. Young described him as a “dear friend and brother” who lived life with faith and passion.
What Chuck Woolery Said About Donald Trump
Woolery was an outspoken supporter of Trump on his podcast Blunt Force Truth, which he had co-hosted with Young since 2014.
In a 2017 interview with The New York Times, he described himself as a “conservative libertarian and constitutionalist.”
“I was not a Trump backer in the beginning,” he told the Times. “But I eventually got on board for fear of losing the Constitution altogether, for fear of going down this hypersocialist road. I thought, ‘How bad can Trump possibly be?’ Sure, it was a big bet on the unknown. But nobody can change Washington from the inside. They’re all phonies. We believe that both the Republicans and Democrats have sold Americans out.”
In a tweet in 2019, Woolery wrote on Twitter, now called X, that supporting Trump destroyed his career.
“Yes I have pretty much destroyed my career by openly supporting Trump and letting all know, I am a conservative. Painful at times, but true. After all is said and done. It was my choice, and I can live with it. I would do it all again.”
What Chuck Woolery Said About COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Woolery sparked controversy by accusing institutions, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and doctors of lying about the virus for political gain.
In a July 2020 tweet reposted by Trump, Woolery wrote, “The most outrageous lies are the ones about COVID-19.”
“Everyone is lying. The CDC, media, Democrats, our doctors, not all but most, that we are told to trust. I think it’s all about the election and keeping the economy from coming back, which is about the election. I’m sick of it.”
Days later, Woolery announced that his son had contracted COVID, softening his tone to acknowledge the virus’ reality. “COVID-19 is real and it is here,” he tweeted before deleting his account. His account was later restored.
Woolery later clarified that he had never called the virus itself a hoax, but maintained the public had been misled about the response.
On a July 2020 episode of his podcast, he suggested the pandemic was being “weaponized” politically, citing as evidence in an appearance on Laura Ingraham‘s Fox News show “two [unnamed] doctors” who said masks were ineffective at preventing the spread of the virus.
The post What Chuck Woolery Said About Donald Trump, COVID appeared first on Newsweek.
