English professor's week from hell: Divorce, Covid, and hospitalised after being shot

Professor Patrick Wilson revealed the drastic reasons he'd had to postpone his students' exam. Photo / Getty Images

If you think you're having a bad week, spare a thought for the English professor going viral on Twitter after revealing he'd contracted coronavirus, been shot at, and is in the midst of a messy divorce after being cheated on over the past few days.

In a concerning yet hilariously nonchalant update to students, a teacher who was shot at "against his best wishes" let his class know their exam had been postponed, should he survive the weekend.

In a wild ride from start to finish – he also shared that he'd been cheated on.

The unfolding saga has prompted a woman claiming to be his estranged wife to share her side of the story on Twitter — much to the delight of thousands of strangers now invested in the man's turbulent personal life.

It all kicked off after a screenshot of an email from Professor Patrick Wilson surfaced on Twitter this week from one of his students, who shared it with the caption: "Just received this roller coaster of an email from one of my professors".

The email begins: "Unfortunately, I have to reschedule the exam, and I will have to cancel class on Thursday. Against my best wishes, I have been shot and being treated in the ER.

"I also have Covid, and the divorce is getting messy," he adds, helpfully reminding students that "office hours are still 11 – 12 on Mon/Wed with your TA".

In a grim twist, he wrote: "If I am alive, the exam will be moved to Monday of next week."

The post received over 817,000 likes – with the clued-in teacher providing a second update upon discovering his viral fame.

"It seems that my last email went viral on the internet," he wrote in the follow-up.

"I appreciate all the replies letting me know. Fortunately, the injury wasn't serious, and none of my Covid symptoms are serious. "

He went on to confirm the exam would indeed go ahead, hilariously warning: "Unlike my wife, I expect you not to cheat".

As Patrick's wife, I just want to say that breakups are hard on everyone and there's a lot of blame to go around!! I also don't much appreciate him sharing our business with his students. Maybe if he weren't such a "devoted" teacher, he'd still have a wife, just sayin...

— Alice 🍃🐿️ 🪓🌹 (@AliceFromQueens) October 13, 2020

Yikes.

The TV soap opera-befitting narrative has naturally captured the intrigue of thousands of social media users, desperate to know more about Wilson's situation.

"I wonder if being shot and the messy divorce have anything to do with each other," questioned one user.

"Your professor went through 2020 in one day," joked another.

However, some were not so amused — slamming the teacher for his "massively unprofessional" overshare.

"Coming from the point of view of an educator, this is massively unprofessional. There is a line between establishing rapport and oversharing. This email blows up that line," one said.

The plot gloriously thickened when a Twitter user named "Alice" chimed in, claiming to be the man's estranged wife.

In a lengthy tirade against the teacher, she wrote that "breakups are hard on everyone" adding that there was "a lot of blame to go around".

Alice revealed she didn't "appreciate him sharing our business with his students".

"Maybe if he weren't such a "devoted" teacher, he'd still have a wife, just sayin …" she brutally added.

Later in her own wild thread, she clarified that she had "nothing directly to do with his shooting".

"Anyway he's not seriously hurt," she added.

The epic saga has made every single teacher in the history of schools and universities seem incredibly boring in comparison.