It was confirmed last month that Vanna White will not be retiring with Pat Sajak at the end of this season of “Wheel Of Fortune,” as she renewed her contract for two more years, but that doesn’t mean that she does not already have an idea in mind of who she wants to replace her when she finally does call it quits.
'Wheel of Fortune' hostess Vanna White renews her contract for 2 more years pic.twitter.com/OQxIi9MFPu
— The Messenger (@TheMessenger) September 20, 2023
White’s Ideal Replacement
White, 66, believes that Sajak’s 28 year-old daughter Maggie, who currently serves as the social media correspondent for “Wheel Of Fortune,” would be the perfect replacement for her when she finally does retire.
“I think she’s a good replacement if I can’t be there for some reason,” White told E! News. “She’s been around it her whole life, so I think she can fill in for me for sure.”
White went on to say that Sajak’s signature charm has definitely “rubbed off” on his daughter.
“She’s precious, she’s beautiful, she’s very good,” White said. “I think she learned a lot from her father because he’s such a good interviewer. I think she’s good for our show.”
As Pat Sajak prepares to say goodbye to “Wheel of Fortune,” Vanna White exclusively shared who she thinks should be her "replacement" some day: The host’s 28-year-old daughter, Maggie Sajakhttps://t.co/HArjRBp3AE
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) October 11, 2023
Related: Vanna White Reveals She Competed On ‘The Price Is Right’ As She Honors Bob Barker After His Death
Sajak Retiring
Sajak, 76, announced back in June that he would be retiring from “Wheel Of Fortune” after the current 41st season, saying that the “time has come.” White admitted that the thought of Sajak retiring is tough on her, as she’s grown “very close” to him over the 41 years they’ve spent working together on the iconic game show.
“There’s definitely sadness and it is absolutely bittersweet for me,” she confessed. “It’s going to be really hard for me after all these years.”
“I mean, I know everything about him,” she said of Sajak in a separate interview with People Magazine. “He knows everything about me. I can tell when he’s walking up the stairs. Our dressing rooms are on the second floor. I can hear in his footsteps when he is walking up the steps, if he’s going to be in a good mood or not. Forty-one years together, you know each other so well. It definitely is bittersweet, but he’s decided to retire and I have to accept that.”
White even admitted that she thought about retiring herself when she learned that Sajak would be stepping down.
“Of course it’s a thought,” White acknowledged. “It’s like, ‘Well, wait, if you’re leaving, what am I going to do? How can I stay without you?’ It was a very hard decision for me to make because it definitely crossed my mind.”
“It’s like, ‘I just don’t know if I can do this without you,’ but I thought about it and I’m not ready to retire, so I am staying on,” she added.
Vanna White says leaving Wheel of Fortune with Pat Sajak crossed her mind: 'How can I stay without you?' pic.twitter.com/dIcxt6dzDa
— G_ (@_G_the_first) October 12, 2023
Related: Conservative Pat Sajak Retires From ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ After 42 Years
White Looking Forward To More ‘Wheel Of Fortune’
That being said, White is still looking forward to working with the “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest, who will be replacing Sajak when he leaves.
“He is a kind man. He is professional. He’s good at what he does. He likes to have fun. He even said to me, ‘I’m not trying to replace Pat by any means. I just want to go in and do a good job,'” White stated. “So, that’s what he’s going to do and I think he’s going to be just fine.”
White is also excited to have more fun with Sajak as the current season continues.
“We are celebrating this year with Pat and all the good times, all the 41 years, all the memories,” she said. “We are going to be doing some incredible stuff to say goodbye to Pat at the end of the season. We have almost a whole season to do that, to just look at all the great things that we’ve done together. I’m so looking forward to that. It’s going to be very sad.”
‘Wheel of Fortune’ co-host Vanna White considered retiring with Pat Sajak: 'What am I going to do?' https://t.co/9pzzgYRO2C
— FOX 29 (@FOX29philly) October 12, 2023
With so much “craziness” in the world today, White likes being part of a show that brings people the kind of joy that “Wheel Of Fortune” does every night.
“I don’t mean that in an egotistical way,” she said. “There’s so much drama everywhere. You turn on ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and you get half hour of family fun.”
We’re so glad that White decided to stay on “Wheel Of Fortune,” and we hope she continues on the game show for many years to come!
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