Wheel of Fortune is moving right along as part of the 2025 TV schedule, as the long-running game show continues to draw in viewers with its puzzles and prizes. The last few years have also seen some changes take shape on the show, with one of the biggest being the hiring of host Ryan Seacrest. Just recently, an alteration was made to the game via the introduction of a new puzzle category, “What the Fun?” A notable advocacy group is now taking issue with this new addition to the series, and the members laid out their reasoning.
The group in question is One Million Moms, which is an offshoot of the American Family Association. Over the years, OMM has spoken out on various occasions and shared its grievances with certain elements depicted within TV and film. As far as Wheel of Fortune goes, the organization is displeased with the new category due to the fact that it hints at a profane word. The “fun” in the “What the Fun?” name serves a placeholder for the f-word, and the group believes that’s an inappropriate creative choice:
One Million Moms suspects parents may be shocked when they discover that the once family-friendly Wheel of Fortune game show is no more. Unfortunately, the recently added puzzle category ‘What the Fun’ aims at a mature, modern audience with insinuated profanity making it no longer suitable for family viewing.
All in all, OMM seeks to uphold values it thinks are decent, especially in regard to programming consumed by younger audiences. In 2020, the group slammed Disney’s The Owl House for featuring witches, sorcery and other elements they view as “evil content.” The organization also notably made headlines in late 2024 when it knocked Wicked for also featuring witchcraft and supposedly “pushing the LGBTQ agenda.” Even Hallmark’s Christmas movies became a point of contention for the group due to LGBTQ inclusion.
One Million Moms’ petition, which calls for Wheel of Fortune’s new puzzle category to be dropped, has over 12,700 signatures, as of this writing. In its posting, the group goes on to say that Wheel has “deliberately chosen to include controversial categories instead of wholesome ones, which they find “highly inappropriate." In OMM’s perspective, insinuated profanity is “extremely disrespectful” to families. The org also says:
It is not the show it was with this implication of the f-word. This is unnecessary in any program, especially one marketed for the entire family. Parents will have to explain to their children that the primetime program they were once allowed to watch is no longer a clean show.
The situation comes during what’s already been an eventful time for the Wheel of Fortune franchise. Just a few months ago, Ryan Seacrest celebrated the first million dollar-winning contestant during his tenure on the series. Also, it’s hard to forget the brouhaha involving the claim that Celebrity Wheel contestant Derek Hough jumped on the wheel during a commercial break. There’s no telling whether the “What the Fun?” will continue to make headlines and, at this point, representatives for the show have yet to respond.
In the meantime, know that Wheel of Fortune still airs daily in syndication. Be sure to check your local listings to find out when it airs in your area.
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