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Pat Sajak hasn’t been gone as the host of Wheel of Fortune for long, but according to reports, his absence is already being massively felt, particularly by longtime sidekick Vanna White.
According to reports, while the 67-year-old was playing on retiring at the expiry of her contract, White might actually step down earlier due to her relationship with new host Ryan Seacrest, whom she reportedly doesn’t “jibe” with (the boomer word for “vibe”).
“Vanna is retiring from the show when her contract ends, but there is a part of her that wants to walk away sooner,” they said. “It is just so difficult to do this without Pat. She just doesn’t jibe with Ryan like she did with Pat, and no one really ever expected her to. There is just no way that she possibly could.” [via Daily Mail]
White, a model who won the Miss Georgia pageant in 1978 prior to her career on television, began co-hosting Wheel of Fortune in 1982. From 1982 to 2024, White co-hosted the long-running gameshow with Sajak, who retired earlier this year at the age of 77 years old.
Due to the popularity of Wheel of Fortune, White has cameoed as herself in both film and television, appearing in projects such as Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, Double Dragon, Totally Minnie, and Full House. She also had a guest role on Married with Children in 1993, and appeared in Playboy Magazine in 1987.
As for Seacrest, he’s been a fixture on television for over two decades now, hosting programs such as Live with Kelly and Ryan, American Idol, and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.
Seacrest is set to make his debut as the host of Wheel of Fortune when the new season hits the air this fall.