Vanna White admitted that retirement crossed her mind once Pat Sajak announced he was leaving Wheel of Fortune. When asked how long she sees herself remaining on the game show, the longtime letter-turner had an interesting answer.
“I don’t know. When I heard that Pat was retiring, I thought maybe I should retire too,” she told TV Insider in an interview published on May 25. “But I’m not ready! 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.”
Pat, 77, announced in June 2023 that he would be retiring from his role as Wheel of Fortune host.
“Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all,” he said in a statement to Closer at the time.
His final episode as host of the long-running program will air on June 7 of this year, which is sure to be an emotional broadcast.
Shortly after his retirement announcement, questions loomed about whether or not Vanna, 67, would remain on the show. She put speculation to rest when she signed on to serve as letter turner through 2026, Closer confirmed in September 2023.
After working with Pat for more than four decades, it will certainly be a new chapter on Wheel of Fortune for Vanna and new host Ryan Seacrest.
“I can’t describe how I feel. I feel happy for him,” she said of Pat’s retirement. “I can’t imagine doing the show without him after 41 years. I sum it up as [like] reading a good book. It always has to end. This has been the best book I’ve ever read.”
Vanna, who started off as a beauty queen before venturing into acting, never expected her Wheel of Fortune gig to last this long.
“I never would have thought that this would turn into a 40-plus-year job,” the South Carolina native, who is a mom to kids Nikko and Gigi, confessed. “I’m happy that I am myself [on the show]. I don’t play a character. I am who I am. It’s a fun show that everybody of all ages enjoys. We give money away!”
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