‘Wheel of Fortune’: Mickey Mouse Draws Mixed Reviews From Viewers in Letter-Turner Debut as Vanna White Hosts

Mickey Mouse has spent his whole life bringing joy to families across the world. It turns out, though, that he doesn’t have the same effect while working on Wheel of Fortune.

With Pat Sajak sidelined as he recovers from an emergency surgery and Vanna White taking the reins, someone needed to patrol the letter board. On Monday’s episode it was Minnie Mouse, leaving Mickey Mouse to take over the role on tonight’s airing.

At first glance, an overwhelming amount of viewers noticed Mickey didn’t seem to be doing all that much.

“Wheel of Fortune just isn’t right tonight,” one user tweeted. “No Pat, Vanna is hosting, and Mickey Mouse is doing Vanna’s job. But the real sham is that Mickey isn’t even touching the squares and the letters are being uncovered.”

The viewer was correct as both Minnie and Mickey did not follow White’s traditional role. Neither character moved back-and-forth touching the letters as they were being called, but rather pointed at the board whenever one was called.

Another user wrote, “.@TheVannaWhite did not spend forty years walking back and worth just for Mickey Mouse to stand there and do nothing!”

While the face of the Disney company found himself on the wrong end of many viewers feedback, there were still plenty that felt his presence was more than enough to warrant a job well done.

“#WheelOfFortune Loving Vanna standing in for Pat and wishing him a speedy recovery,” one user commented. “However, Mickey Mouse is ADORABLE the way he points at each word during the ‘solve’. LOL.”

Vanna White will continue serving as the host in place of Sajak for the next two weeks. There will also be an appearance by as the host in the show’s first episode of 2020 as the show will air episodes pre-taped before his surgey. Sajak is set to return on Jan. 13.