Vanna White has been a staple in most American households for over 40 years. She is the hostess and letter turner on Wheel of Fortune and admitted that she once considered hanging it up.
As a Forbes 50 Over 50 listee, Vanna White, 68, talked to the outlet about her time on the game show, how she considered retirement when Pat Sajak left, and the reason she does her job.
She has a call time of 7 a.m. every filming day, where she has 30 outfits waiting for her to try on. White has two hours to pick which one she wants to wear until she is whisked away to hair and makeup. After she’s all dolled up, she takes some time out to do interviews and press before filming the first three episodes at 11:30.
Everyone on set takes a lunch break, and then the last three episodes are filmed and wrap up typically around 6 p.m., when everyone goes home. White shared that the schedulew almost never veers off course, except for the occasional board or wheel malfunction. “They have it so precise after all these years,” she told Forbes.
Although fans tell her all the time that she is a big part of their daily lives, White considered stepping away from her role. “People tell me all the time, ‘I grew up watching you. My parents grew up watching you.’ It’s just an awesome thing,” she said.
“I thought I would step away with Pat [in 2024]. My thought was, how am I going to continue working with a new person? It’s a scary thought to bring somebody new in. And then I thought to myself, Am I ready to retire? And the answer was, in my heart, no. I still love what I do.”
White and Pat Sajak hosted one more season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune together before Sajak retired for good. Ryan Seacrest stepped into the role in Season 42 and will continue to host the syndicated show, as well as the celebrity version, with White.
With Sajak gone, Vanna White negotiated her contract for the following season. She struck a reported two-year, $10 million deal while only filming 34 days out of the year. This was her first pay raise in nearly 20 years, having made $3 million with Sajak, which was a fraction of what he earned.
Although she didn’t get into much details with Forbes, White shared that she only has a contract with Wheel of Fortune “for this next year.” As for what happens after that, she said, “We’ll go from there.”
When Forbes asked her who she would like to take over her role someday, White said she’s not sure, and admitted it should be up to the audience. However, she does have advice for whoever would take her role. “Be yourself, and know the entire alphabet!” she said.
“As times change, so does fashion and hair and all that stuff,” she told the outlet. “But I’m still doing what I did the first day I started. I’m on TV as myself. I’m not playing another person. And I might not talk that much, but I’m hoping I can give a good feeling to people out there. That’s my whole reason for doing this job.”
Wheel of Fortune, Season 43, September 8, check local listings