‘Wheel of Fortune’: Is Vanna White Retiring When Ryan Seacrest Hosts?
When it comes to hosting Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak is ready to pass the torch to Ryan Seacrest. Sajak hosted the game show for over 40 years, and now, Seacrest is joining the crew to continue the legacy. But what about the legendary co-host, Vanna White? Is White retiring with Seacrest taking over? Here’s what we know.
Is Vanna White retiring once Ryan Seacrest joins ‘Wheel of Fortune’?
Vanna White joined Wheel of Fortune in 1982, and some fans worry about her retiring once Pat Sajak leaves as the host. So, what’s going on with White?
Thankfully, it appears White doesn’t plan to leave and the showrunners don’t plan on removing her. A source told TVLine that there “is no plan to eliminate Vanna’s role,” and “Sony is in active discussions to renew Vanna’s deal beyond her current contract.” White’s contract ends in 2024 likely around the same time as when Sajak will officially exit the series for good.
While fans should expect to see White beyond 2024, there’s still a lot that’s up in the air. She hasn’t officially signed a new contract just yet. And she also reportedly hired “high-powered litigator Bryan Freedman” to “sort out the pay discrepancy” between her and Sajak, according to Puck News. White reportedly makes $3 million per year with the show, while Sajak made $15 million.
If White can get a higher salary, it appears she’ll surely choose to stick with the show. But if the showrunners don’t bump White’s pay when Ryan Seacrest enters as host, it’s unclear what she will choose to do.
Vanna White once called retiring from the show ‘depressing’
Vanna White and Pat Sajak made the perfect Wheel of Fortune pairing. She once called it “depressing” to consider the idea of leaving the show behind.
“I don’t even want to think about that,” she told People. “I mean, we’re a team. That’s depressing. I don’t even want to think about it.”
White noted she can’t imagine a world in which either she and Sajak aren’t on the show together. “I can’t imagine,” she continued. “Everybody relates Wheel of Fortune to Pat and Vanna. We’re like Ken and Barbie, you know? We’ve been in everybody’s homes for 40 years, so it would be weird having somebody else turn my letters.”
An insider also claimed that White would’ve considered taking over as the host. “Vanna doesn’t want to leave Wheel of Fortune even after Pat’s announcement of retirement and she would highly consider taking over his role as host on the show,” a source close to White alleged to Daily Mail. “The next year is going to be quite the ride and Vanna wants to be a part of it all even after he leaves, and she hopes they don’t force her out.”
“Vanna is in it for the long haul,” the insider continued. “If she doesn’t take over Pat’s job when he is done, she would like to be a part of the selection process for Pat’s replacement because if it is up to her, she is in it forever.” They then added that if White leaves the series, viewers should know “it wasn’t her decision.”
The ‘Wheel of Fortune’ host and co-host have an undeniable bond
Not only has Vanna White opened up about her feelings regarding life after Wheel of Fortune, but she’s also talked about the close bond she has with Pat Sajak.
“He is so funny. He really is,” White told People. “We see each other every couple of weeks for a couple of days. It’s perfect. Then we don’t see each other and then, we come back to work. And he is always making me laugh.”
White then noted that the series creator saw that Sajak and White would have a “brother/sister-type relationship.”
“I think that is kind of what it is,” she added. “He saw that we would be able to get along, I think. And we do. We are like a brother and sister team.”
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