Pat Sajak’s final episode as “Wheel of Fortune” host is on the horizon, so when will Vanna White follow suit?
White, who’s been on the show since 1982, signed a contract extension to remain on the program through the 2025-2026 season. She says in a recent interview that she has thought about leaving the program, but isn’t sure when she will walk away from it.
“I don’t know. When I heard that Pat was retiring, I thought maybe I should retire too. But I’m not ready!” she told TV Insider. “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.”
Sajak’s final episode of “Wheel of Fortune” will air June 7. White says she has a lot of feelings about him saying goodbye to the show.
“I can’t describe how I feel,” she said. “I feel happy for him. 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.”
Sajak, who has been with “Wheel of Fortune” since 1981, announced in June 2023 that this 41st current season of “Wheel of Fortune” will be his final one. Later that month, it was announced that Ryan Seacrest will take over the reins from him.
White is grateful she has gotten to star on the show.
“I never would have thought that this would turn into a 40-plus-year job,” she said. “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!”
White also credits Sajak for helping her get through her first day on the job, when she was nervous.
“(He said), ‘Calm down, it’s going to be OK.’ I was just a little old girl from North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, wanting to be on TV from the time I was 10,” she said.
“He made me feel comfortable in front of a camera. He was my teacher.”
White has previously discussed the day when she would no longer be on the show.
“I don’t even want to think about that. I mean, we’re a team,” she told People in 2022 about the possibility of not working with Sajak. “That’s depressing. I don’t even want to think about it.”
“I just visualize us just being there. I can’t think beyond that,” she added.
White also said the notion that “Wheel of Fortune” could exist without her and Sajak is hard to grasp.
“I can’t imagine. Everybody relates ‘Wheel of Fortune’ to Pat and Vanna. We’re like Ken and Barbie, you know?” she said.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
