History has been made on the game show, Wheel Of Fortune. The show had its first same-sex couple as contestants during its sweethearts week, according to TV Insider.
The historic moment occurred during the Feb. 16 episode. Contestants Charlie and Kelly were the first to introduce themselves after winning $1,000 for solving the first puzzle, which the answer was “Royal Wedding.”
Charlie introduced Kelly as his husband and remarked they were honored to be on the show during the 40th anniversary and noted they were celebrating their 25th anniversary of being together.
The cute couple told host Pat Sajak, who has been hosting for about 42 years, that their poodle dog was watching at home. Sajak asked for their poodle’s favorite shows, and the couple answered with Jeopardy.
Another puzzle Charlie and Kelly solved correctly involved Song Lyrics — “Here’s My Number So Call Me Maybe.”
“Not just a solve but performed,” Sajak said.
Although the couple didn’t win the game, they took $3,000 home.
The show didn’t mention that the two were the first same-sex couple, but a Reddit user highlighted the fact in the Wheel Of Fortune Reddit group.
“This is a big step for Wheel, considering that just three years ago, then-executive producer Harry Friedman said in an interview that the show wasn’t ready for same-sex couples yet,” the anonymous user wrote.
The interview being referred to was the 2019 interview Friedman did with the Hollywood Reporter about stepping down after 25 years of being an executive producer.
Asked if the show had same-sex couples, he admitted it hadn’t.
“it’s something that’s been discussed and like everything else that we do, we take very measured steps,” Friedman said. “And we have just not decided to do that yet.”
Very nice to see a male couple tonight on #WheelOfFortune! #SweetheartsWeek
— Matthew (@itsflawless19) February 17, 2023
Kelly’s my wife’s name!
I’m happy to see a Charlie and a Kelly together on the show#LoveWins#WheelOfFortune— Charlie Pevey 🦒👦 (@giraffe_boy) February 17, 2023
