Chuck Woolery, the host of iconic game shows such as Love connection And Wheel of Fortuneand later, a conservative podcast host who supported Donald Trump, has died at the age of 83.

His podcast co-host Mark Young confirmed on Sunday that Woolery had died at his home in Texas with his wife Kristen by his side.

Known for his quick wit and trademark “two and two” signature, Woolery hosted several television programs, earning a daytime Emmy nomination in 1978 and an induction into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007. He began his career as the first host of Wheel of Fortune in 1975, made later Love connection a pop culture phenomenon during its eleven-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 with faith and passion.

What Chuck Woolery said about Donald Trump

Woolery was an outspoken supporter of Trump on his podcast Blunt force truththat he has organized together 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 supporter at first,” he told the newspaper Times. “But ultimately I got on board out of fear of losing the Constitution altogether, out of fear of going down this hyper-socialist path. I thought, ‘How bad can Trump be?’ Sure, it was a big bet on the unknown, but no one can change Washington from within. We believe both Republicans and Democrats have betrayed Americans.”

In a 2019 tweet, Woolery on Twitter, now called X, wrote that supporting Trump destroyed his career.

“Yes, I pretty much destroyed my career by openly supporting Trump and letting everyone know I’m a conservative. Sometimes painful, but true. After all, it was my choice, and I can live with it. 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 lies. The CDC, the media, the Democrats, our doctors, not all, but most, that we should trust. “I think it’s all about the election and keeping the economy from coming back, and that’s about the election.” I’m sick of it.”

Days later, Woolery announced that his son had contracted COVID, softening his tone to acknowledge the reality of the virus. “COVID-19 is real and it’s 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 insisted the public had been misled about the response.

In a July 2020 episode of his podcast, he suggested that the pandemic was being politically “weaponized,” citing as evidence in an appearance on Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show “two (unnamed) doctors” who said that masks were not effective in preventing the spread of the disease. virus.