Larry Brown, Jr. was excited to make his Wheel of Fortune debut, but viewers at home were more concerned with something completely unrelated.
Larry, a Howard University alum who also goes by LBJ, noted on Instagram that he wanted to play Wheel of Fortune before the legendary longtime host, Pat Sajak, retires later this year.
Larry’s wish came true, and during Wheel of Fortune’s April 9 episode, Larry went head-to-head against his opponents, Louise Henry and Kalesha Knight.
Although Larry, a semi-pro tap dancer from Bowie, Maryland, brought an infectious energy with him on stage, viewers couldn’t help but focus on another attribute of his.
During Larry’s segment, he must have been hiding that it was stifling hot in the studio because he sweated profusely throughout the episode as he made his national television debut.
Larry glistened from perspiration under the bright studio lights at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California, and Wheel of Fortune fans at home took notice.
Over on X, Wheel watchers expressed their empathy for Larry, who was drenched with sweat throughout the episode.
Wheel of Fortune fans beg producers to ‘intervene’ as Larry sweats profusely on stage
Using a GIF of comedian Jordan Peele during a sketch in which he sweated profusely, @ThisIsRexSteele joked that it was “Larry on Wheel Of Fortune.”
Another fan wrote, “This poor man is sweating on #WheelOfFortune. Makeup staff needs to intervene!”
“Somebody give my man Larry a towel or turn on the ac!” demanded Nicole Abo-gato.
Another Wheel of Fortune viewer surmised, “Must’ve been hot as hell in the #WheelofFortune studio for tonight’s episode bc this dude is sweating his tiddies off.”
Larry wasn’t able to win big during his Wheel of Fortune debut
Unfortunately for Larry, not only did he sweat buckets during his Wheel of Fortune appearance, but he lost the game, too.
Larry landed on the dreaded “bankrupt” wedge for one of his spins and only earned $2,000 for his efforts, being beaten out by Kalesha, who earned a chance to win big money in the Bonus Round.
Larry was a good sport despite the loss in the roasting studio, applauding Kalesha’s efforts.
Kalesha’s category was “What Are You Doing?” and although she was left with many letters on the board, she couldn’t come up with the solution, “Evaluating the Work,” missing out on a $50,000 win.