Ryan Seacrest’s Wheel of Fortune honeymoon is well and truly over as fans turn on him in droves and mourn the retirement of former, long-time host Pat Sajak – leaving the hyper-sensitive presenter spinning himself dizzy, a source exclusively reveals to Closer.
“Ryan’s a lot more sensitive than people give him credit for and his confidence and arrogance are merely bravado for him,” the source explains.
“If he thought he could waltz into Wheel of Fortune and spin things his way, he thought wrong.”
Ryan, 49, took over the job from beloved Pat, 77, who Guinness Book of World Records says had the longest streak as a game show host ever – even beating out The Price Is Right king Bob Barker.
“The job’s harder than he thought and winning over the fans has been a tough nut to crack,” the insider says.
Fans were livid over a recent controversy involving the new host, during which a contestant, Vivian, lost out on a rare $1 million bonus round prize.
Revealing the staggering fortune – that Vivian had just missed out on – by opening an envelope, Ryan seemed to rub it in, chuckling and saying, “You were so close to that million dollars. You almost had it.”
Speechless, Vivian kept her hands on her head, prompting the host to ask her, “Are you alright? … Breathe! You’re still walking away with $27,300 and that trip to Europe.”
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 20: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Ryan Seacrest attends the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 20, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)
While that may be nice and good to most, it wasn’t a pretty moment for fans at home. They blasted the American Idol presenter, who has a net worth of $60 million, with one commenting, “It’s more devastating than maybe he realizes.”
“He’s gotta work on his empathy skills. Yikes!” another wrote. “Can he even remember what it’s like to not be rich?”
Comparing the new host to the former, one viewer said, “Ryan laughed at her, I felt – Pat was way more demure about it.”
“Didn’t Ryan say something like ‘You’re going to kick yourself’ or something like that? While Pat acted like somebody died,” an irate fan noticed.
The source says the comments aren’t rolling off Ryan’s shoulders, either.
“He’s reading everything that’s said about him and taking it to heart. People say he’s no match for Sajak and he’s flubbing his lines, but to be fair he’s got so much to deal with and not just Wheel of Fortune.”
“Of course, the biggest struggle is that he hates to be hated,” the source says.
While failing to comfort a devastated contestant may be worth looking in the mirror over, other criticisms have been nit-pickier in nature.
Talking about the hosts’ habit of keeping his hands in his pockets while chatting up contestants sans cue cards, one commenter argued he was “trying too hard” to seem “relaxed.”
But, as picky as some fans may be, the source says Ryan is having a hard time even facing small-time disapproval.
“Now, he finds himself in the firing line and people don’t like him and it’s his worst nightmare.”
“His self-esteem has taken a beating and he’s seeking therapy to build himself back up again.”
“He needs to talk things out with a professional who can offer him therapeutic neutrality.”
