Vanna White: I Want to Replace Pat Sajak, Tells 'Wheel of Fortune' Execs: ‘It’s My Time’
June 23 2023, Published 7:30 a.m. ET
It’s time for Vanna White at Wheel of Fortune — at least that is what she has told big wigs of the famed television show as it faces its first big shake-up in four decades.
RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned the 66-year-old letter spinner has told executives in charge of replacing her long-time collaborator Pat Sajak, who announced earlier this month he will leave his long-time role as host at the end of the 2023-2024 season, that she wants the job.
Ryan Seacrest leads a long list of names being eyed by the bosses in a deal that would make him the highest paid person on daytime television.
But White — who joined the show in 1982 as one of three hostesses — has put her hand up for the gig and believes she has “done her bit” as understudy to Sajak for decades, a source told RadarOnline.com.
“Vanna believes it’s her time and thinks she is the natural choice,” the television insider said.
White’s ascent to the top job would make sense. She temporarily took over as master of ceremonies of Wheel of Fortune in December 2019 after Sajak was hospitalized with a blocked intestine and needed emergency surgery. She has continued to fill in since.
But producers privately think White’s ascension to the role could cause other issues in the succession.
“It’s unlikely an all-female hosting line-up would work,” added the source.
“There is merit to Vanna taking on the role — and perhaps it could work if there is a format change, and the role of letter activator is removed completely in favor of a digital tool, like something that would reveal the letter at the host’s command instead of a host touching the letters."
The insider also suggested producers were mulling the idea of Sajak’s daughter Maggie replacing White as the letter activator if she moved to the main role.
But they added: it’s more of a longshot and not one of the decision-makers’ preferred replacements.
“Behind-the-scenes, it's turned into an all-out war,” a source previously told RadarOnline.com.
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“Pat's trying to elbow her (White) aside to make room for Maggie. Everyone's bracing themselves for battle."
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Seacrest remains the front-runner with other names being touted - including Mario Lopez and Andy Cohen. Whoopi Goldberg also threw her hat into the ring for the job.
