Chuck Woolery

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Charles Herbert Woolery (March 16, 1941 – November 23, 2024) was an American television host, actor, and musician. He had long-running tenures hosting several game shows. Woolery was the original host of the original daytime Wheel of Fortune from 1975 until 1981, when he was replaced by Pat Sajak. After leaving Wheel of Fortune, Woolery hosted a number of other game shows including Love Connection (1983–1994), Scrabble (1984–1990, 1993), Greed (1999–2000), and Lingo (2002–2007). Woolery's musical career includes several advertising jingles, a top-40 pop hit with the psychedelic pop duo The Avant-Garde, and a number of country music releases. In the 2010s, Woolery also hosted a political podcasting series.

Early life

Charles Herbert Woolery was born in Ashland, Kentucky, on March 16, 1941, the son of Katherine, a homemaker, and Dan Woolery, who owned a fountain supplies company.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="baber">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

After high school, Woolery served two years in the U.S. Navy, aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65).<ref>Woolery, Chuck 1941– Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved May 23, 2024.</ref><ref>Chuck Woolery: Legendary, Emmy Award-Winning Game Show Host Premiere Speakers Bureau. Retrieved May 23, 2024.</ref> In 1963, Woolery worked as a wine consultant for Wasserstrom Wine and Import Company in Columbus, Ohio. <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Career

Music career

In the early 1960s, Woolery sang and played the double bass with a folk song trio called The Bordermen. He also sang in a duo called The Avant-Garde who were in the psychedelic pop genre. The other half of the duo was Bubba Fowler. They signed to Columbia Records and had a Top 40 hit with "Naturally Stoned" in 1968, bringing the duo one-hit wonder status.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It reached #30 in Canada, October 21, 1968.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the late 1970s, Woolery returned to his singing career. Woolery charted on Hot Country Songs with "Painted Lady" and "The Greatest Love Affair".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Between 1977 and 1980, Woolery recorded for Warner Bros. Records and Epic Records as a solo artist, with two low-charting singles on Hot Country Songs.<ref name="whitburn">Template:Cite book</ref> Woolery also co-wrote "The Joys of Being a Woman" on Tammy Wynette's 1971 album We Sure Can Love Each Other.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Acting and television show host

As an actor, Woolery appeared with Stephen Boyd, Rosey Grier, and Cheryl Ladd in the mid-1970s film The Treasure of Jamaica Reef.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Woolery performed as Mr. Dingle on the children's television series New Zoo Revue in the early 1970s. During that time, he made his first game show appearance on an episode of Tattletales in 1974, alongside then-wife Jo Ann Pflug. Starting as a singer, Woolery appeared on an episode of Your Hit Parade. On January 6, 1975, he began hosting Wheel of Fortune at the suggestion of creator Merv Griffin, who had seen Woolery sing on The Tonight Show.<ref name = Lindner>Template:Cite news</ref> Woolery hosted the show for six years, and in 1978 was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host or Hostess in a Game or Audience Participation Show. In 1981, he was involved in a salary dispute with the program's producers; he said in a 2007 interview that he demanded a raise from $65,000 a year to about $500,000 a year because the program was drawing a 44 viewership share at the time, and other hosts (such as Richard Dawson and Bob Barker) were making that much. Griffin offered Woolery $400,000 a year, and NBC offered to pay the additional $100,000, but after Griffin threatened to move the program to CBS, NBC withdrew the offer. Woolery's contract was not renewed and his final episode aired on December 25, 1981.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pat Sajak replaced him.<ref name = Lindner/>

Woolery hosted Love Connection (1983–1994), The Big Spin (1985), Scrabble (1984–1990, 1993), Home & Family (1996–1998, co-host), The Dating Game (1997–1999), Greed (1999–2000), TV Land Ultimate Fan Search (1999–2000), and Lingo (2002–2007). In addition, he was the subject of a short-lived reality television, Chuck Woolery: Naturally Stoned (originally titled Chuck Woolery: Behind the Lingo) in 2003.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also hosted his own talk show, The Chuck Woolery Show, which lasted for only a few months in 1991. He hosted The Price Is Right Live! at Harrah's Entertainment casinos, and appeared in the live stage show "$250,000 Game Show Spectacular" at the Westgate Las Vegas until April 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On April 21, 2023, it was announced that Woolery would be featured in an upcoming four-episode documentary by ABC News titled The Game Show Show, covering the history of game shows in America over the last eight decades. The four-part documentary premiered on May 10, 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Woolery later hosted Template:'80s Quiz Show, a game show based on trends and norms of the 1980s, which streamed on Fox Nation on June 7, 2024.<ref name="Fox Nation">Template:Cite web</ref>

Radio and podcast host

From 2012 to 2014, Woolery hosted a nationally syndicated radio commentary show, Save Us Chuck Woolery, which grew out of his YouTube videos. In 2014, the show became a long-format podcast, and was retitled Blunt Force Truth. However, before his death the show could still be heard on about 60 radio stations across the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> With co-host Mark Young, Woolery expanded on his conservative political ideals and current events, often inviting guest experts to join the conversation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Political views

Woolery spoke in favor of American conservatism. He was an active supporter of the Republican Party, and had mainly donated to Republican and conservative causes.<ref>Chuck Woolery on Occupy Wall Street, youtube.com (Chuck Woolery statement against Occupy Wall Street); retrieved February 13, 2012</ref><ref>Christopher, Tommy (February 9, 2012). Mediaite Interviews The Great Chuck Woolery At CPAC, He Is No Fan Of President Obama, Mediaite</ref> He was a gun rights activist.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Woolery was accused of antisemitism after a series of tweets in May 2017, including this message: "Believe it or not. Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin were both Jewish. I was shocked to find, most of the original Soviet Communists were Jewish."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The claim that communism is Jewish in origin forms the core of the antisemitic trope called Judeo-Bolshevism. The tweet led to accusations of antisemitism against Woolery.<ref name="newsweek.com">Template:Cite web</ref> In response to the criticism, Woolery tweeted: "Amazing to me, I point out that Marx and Lenin were Jewish, Fact of history, and now I'm being called anti-Semitic? Why do people do this?"<ref name="newsweek.com"/>

On July 12, 2020, Woolery tweeted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), doctors, the media, and the Democratic Party were lying about the COVID-19 pandemic. President Donald Trump retweeted Woolery's claims.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The following day, Woolery tweeted that his son had tested positive for the virus and that the "COVID-19 pandemic is real". His Twitter account was later made private before later being made public again.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life and death

Woolery was a Christian who volunteered in ministry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was married five times and was the father of five children. Woolery and his first wife, Margaret Hays, had two children together, Katherine and Chad. Chad was killed in a motorcycle accident in January 1986.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=2006mar>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1972, he married actress Jo Ann Pflug<ref name=2006mar /> and had a daughter, Melissa. They divorced in 1980.<ref name=2006mar /> With third wife Teri Nelson, who is the adopted daughter of actor David Nelson and granddaughter of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, he had two sons, Michael and Sean.<ref name=2006mar /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2006, he married Kim Barnes.<ref name=2006mar /> At the time of his death, it was reported that he was married to a woman named Kristen.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In Woolery's later years, he lived in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, and died at home on November 23, 2024, at the age of 83.<ref name = Lindner/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Filmography

Source:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Additional citation needed

Acting

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1972	New Zoo Revue	Mr. Dingle
1973	Love, American Style	Mr. Thompson	1 episode, segment: "Love and the Cozy Comrades"
1973	ABC Saturday Morning Cartoons	Superman	For full preview special Sneak Peek
1974	Sonic Boom	Pilot Rogers	Short film
1975	The Treasure of Jamaica Reef	Detective	a.k.a. Evil in the Deep
1978	A Guide for the Married Woman	Tennis Pro	Television film
1979	$weepstake$	Tyler	Episode 4
1982	Romance Theatre		"Marisol" Parts 1–5
1982	Six Pack	TV Commentator #2
1989	227	Himself	Episode: "A Date to Remember"
1989	Cold Feet	Himself	Love Connection host on TV
1997	Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees	Chuck	Cameo as the nightclub owner
2004	Scrubs	Himself	Season 4 Episode 6

Television/radio

Year	Title	Notes
1975–1981	Wheel of Fortune	Replaced by Pat Sajak
1983–1994	Love Connection	Host
1984–1990, 1993	Scrabble	Host
1991	The Chuck Woolery Show	65 episodes
1996	Home & Family	Co-host with Cristina Ferrare
1997–1999	The Dating Game	Host
1999–2000	Greed	Host, 44 episodes
1999–2000	TV Land Ultimate Fan Search
1999	Biography	Episode: Bob Barker: Master of Ceremonies
2002–2007	Lingo	succeeded by Bill Engvall in 2011
2008	Think Like a Cat	Host
2012–2014	Save Us Chuck Woolery (radio show)	Host
2014–2024	Blunt Force Truth (podcast)	Co-host with Mark Young
2023	The Game Show Show	Game show documentary
2024	Template:'80s Quiz Show	Host<ref name="Fox Nation"/>

Discography

Singles

Year	Single	Peak positions
		Hot Country Songs <ref name="whitburn" />
1977	"Painted Lady"	78
	"Take 'Er Down, Boys"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	—
1980	"The Greatest Love Affair"	94
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

See also

• List of game show hosts

External links

• Template:IMDb name
• Template:Discogs artist
• Political podcast co-hosted by Chuck Woolery