Sounds like Vanna White and Ryan Seacrest became fast friends when he took over Wheel of Fortune hosting duties from Pat Sajak a year ago. And friends don’t let friends suffer makeup fails.
In an interview with People, White says she and her new costar have a behind-the-scenes tradition before each taping, and it involves her glam appearance.
“Before we go out, I turn to him and say, ‘Do I have lipstick on my teeth?’” White said. And Seacrest “of course” tells her the truth, she added.
White told the magazine she’s impressed with Seacrest’s work emceeing the long-running syndicated game show and its newer ABC spinoff, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.
“I’ve known Ryan for over 20 years, but I’ve never worked with him until last year,” she said. “He has great energy, and he wants to do a great job. I mean, when he first started, he goes, ‘Look, I can never replace Pat Sajak. I’m just going to go in and do the best job I can.’ And that’s what he’s done. … The transition was flawless.”
In particular, White highlighted how Seacrest shows off more of his personality than he has a chance to on American Idol, the other hit TV show he hosts.
Especially with such a capable new costar, White said there’s “not a better job” than hers. She said that she shares the Wheel of Fortune stage with “one big happy family” and that Sony Picture Studios has become her “home away from home.”
And even after more than four decades flipping letters on the puzzle board, White isn’t thinking of retirement, as she told Forbes in July.
“I thought I would step away with Pat. My thought was, how am I going to continue working with a new person?” she admitted. “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 added, “People tell me all the time, ‘I grew up watching you. My parents grew up watching you.’ It’s just an awesome thing.”
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