Vanna White was ‘scared’ about chemistry with Ryan Seacrest on ‘Wheel of Fortune’

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Published Sep 02, 2024  •  3 minute read

Ryan Seacrest and Vanna White. Photo by Ryan Seacrest /Instagram

Vanna White has revealed that she was worried if she and Ryan Seacrest would have good chemistry together on Wheel of Fortune.

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Seacrest, 49, took over as host of the long-running game show after Pat Sajak retired this past June.

“I’ve known Ryan for probably 20 years, but in the past couple of months we’ve done some travelling together for the show and we got to know each other a little better too, so I think our chemistry is good,” White, 67, told CBS News Sunday Morning of their upcoming episodes.

When asked by correspondent Luke Burbank if she was “nervous” about her and Seacrest’s onscreen rapport, she replied, “I had no idea what to expect, when I’m used to one person for so long.”

The beloved letter-turner admitted she “was very scared, but he’s doing a great job.”

The news comes after rumours swirled earlier this summer that the pair weren’t getting along.

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“She just doesn’t jibe with Ryan like she did with Pat, and no one really ever expected her to,” a source close to White told the Daily Mail. “There is just no way that she possibly could.”

Seacrest, who became a household name thanks to his hosting stint on American Idol, will take over as the new face of Wheel of Fortune when the program returns later this month.

“This is such an incredible, special franchise,” Seacrest told Burbank. “It’s more than a TV show. It is something that means something to people, and when I found out this was an opportunity for me, there was no thought to this. It was like, ‘Absolutely, let’s figure it out and let’s get started.’”

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After Sajak, 77, announced he was retiring at the end of the show’s 41st season last summer, producers tapped Seacrest to take over.

Sajak’s last episode of the game show aired in June, with White praising her longtime TV partner in an emotional tribute video.

White called Sajak “a true friend” as she honoured their time in front of the camera before he signed off from the program. But she said their lives away from the spotlight meant more to her. “Those memories, milestones and life events we shared with our families, outside the studio, are my favourite,” she said as candid photos were displayed onscreen.

“I don’t know how to put into words what these past 41 years have meant to me, but I’m going to try,” White said in a tribute video shared to YouTube. “8,000 episodes went by like that. When I first started, I was so green. You made me so comfortable and made me so confident, Pat. You made me who I am, you really did. As the years have gone by, we’ve grown up on television, but we’ve also shared so much more behind the scenes.”

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Following the broadcast of his final episode, Seacrest also paid tribute to Sajak — and White — in an Instagram post.

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“Your dedication, charm, and wit have made the show a beloved part of American television for decades. Your partnership with Vanna has been nothing short of iconic, and together, you’ve created countless wonderful memories for viewers,” Seacrest wrote in his post, which included a photo and a video of him, Sajak and White on the Wheel of Fortune set. “You’ve set the standard for hosts everywhere, and this marks the end of an era.”

White admitted that when Sajak announced his departure, she thought of exiting the show herself.

“When I heard that Pat was retiring, I thought maybe I should retire too. But I’m not ready,” she told  TV Insider.

But instead of leaving, White, who’s been turning letters nightly since 1982, inked a contract extension to remain with the series through its 2025-2026 season.

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She went on to tell the online outlet that once her two years are up, she’ll make a decision on her future. “We’ll see toward the end of those two years how I feel. I thank God after all these years that I still love my job,” she said.

Meanwhile, although he just retired, Sajak has agreed to stay on as a creative consultant with Wheel of Fortune. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sajak will also return to host one final season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune in the fall.

Seacrest and White kick off Wheel of Fortune Season 42 on Sept. 9.

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