'Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White Shares Piece of Advice for Co-Host Ryan Seacrest
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Vanna White is gearing up for a major change coming to Wheel of Fortune next season.
As Parade previously reported, the upcoming 41st season of the longtime game show will see Pat Sajak exiting after four decades, ushering in a new era with Ryan Seacrest taking over as host in 2024.
Following the news, White—who has been an integral part of the show since 1982—revealed that she had a brief phone conversation with Seacrest during which she even gave the American Idol host a bit of advice.
"You have to know the alphabet," White jokingly told E! News, before assuring the outlet that Seacrest is a “professional” and is going to be “just fine.”
Seacrest has a wealth of experience under his belt, as he’s also the long-running host of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve and his own iHeart radio show, On Air With Ryan Seacrest. He also previously co-hosted Live! With Kelly and Ryan for six years.
With so much experience, White felt confident in sharing that she believes he'll do “really well” filling in as Sajak’s successor.
"I called him to congratulate him on becoming the host," she explained. "He was just so kind and so he goes, ‘Look, no one’s ever going to replace Pat. I’m not trying to replace Pat. I’m just thrilled to be able to work with you, and I’ll do whatever it takes. Please teach me whatever I need to know.’"
Seacrest previously said he “feels a lot of pressure” taking on the role as Sajak is “so smooth and seamless” and “beloved by the country.”
He added, "[But] I'm really excited. I can't wait to just give away a bunch of money to people every night."
The opportunity will be a bit of a learning curve for him as the TV veteran previously called spelling his weakness during an episode of Kelly Ripa’s Let's Talk Off Camera podcast.
"The biggest test for me will be to try and spell the puzzles correctly," he admitted while expressing his hope that he will be able to see the answers ahead of time to make up for his lapse in spelling skills.
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Ripa even joked about it during an episode of Justin Long's Life Is Short podcast that aired on Tuesday, Oct. 17, noting, “Ryan Seacrest is the only person I know, besides myself, and I say 'besides myself,' but he may actually be worse than me… he is a terrible speller.”
"He doesn't read things in a grid properly often," the Live with Kelly and Mark star continued, sharing that this is the “first time” she’s ever “been concerned” for Seacrest.
"Spelling counts on that show," Ripa stated, as Long chimed in, "It's all it is!"
Wheel of Fortune airs weekdays on ABC.
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