Vanna White Is Television's Most Unshakable Star
"In 1980 I moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. In 1982, I heard they were looking for a replacement on Wheel of Fortune," says White. Courtesy of Vanna White
'As times change, so does fashion and hair and all that stuff,' says White, her distinctly South Carolina accent still unchanged after more than 40 years in Hollywood. '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.'
For millions of viewers, White isn't just a fixture on their screens; she's someone who is very much a part of their daily lives. 'People tell me all the time, 'I grew up watching you. My parents grew up watching you.' It's just an awesome thing,' says White.
It's a consistency that, two years ago, appeared in doubt. When longtime Wheel co-host Pat Sajak announced his retirement in 2023, White also considered hanging up her heels. 'I thought I would step away with Pat,' she says now. '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.'
"I was so green when I started, and Pat was so talented and poised." recalls White. "He was a good teacher and settled my nerves." Sony Pictures Television/Califon Productions Inc
In negotiating the terms of her first contract without Sajak as her copilot, White struck a reported two-year, $10 million deal for 34 days of filming per year. It was her first pay raise in nearly two decades. (White had been making a reported $3 million a year, a healthy salary that was nonetheless a fraction of what Sajak was earning.) When asked about the raise, White declined to comment on her salary specifics, saying only, 'I have a contract for this next year, and we'll go from there.' (A spokesperson for White, when asked again by Forbes about the financial terms, likewise declined to comment.)
"When I moved to Hollywood, I walked down the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and I said to myself, one day I'm going to have a star. And then I did," says White. Sony Pictures Television/Slenzak
What White will detail is the precision of her Wheel filming days, which follow a choreographed routine befitting a show decades into its time on air. She begins with a 7:00am call time where some 30 outfits await try-ons. By 9:00am, it's time for hair and makeup followed by interviews with press. At 11:30am, it's time to film the first three episodes. After a lunch break, three more episodes tape until around 6:00pm, when it's time to call it a day. 'They have it so precise after all these years,' says White, who explains that the schedule almost never veers off course—only the rare event of a puzzle board malfunction could cause a delay.
The final episode of season 42 aired in June and season 43 will pick up this fall with a chance for an even wider audience to tune in. Starting in September, episodes will be available for next-day streaming on Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and Peacock for the first time. Last season, the show's first full season with Ryan Seacrest as White's co-host, averaged nearly 8 million viewers an episode. If the show manages to cultivate a new online audience of viewers eager to stream in-season content, White could end up challenging Betty White (no relation) for her Guinness Record for longest television career for a female entertainer.
"People have gotten to know me," says White of viewers. "They know my family, they know I have kids." Courtesy of Vanna White
For the time being, though, White can continue to build on her own Guinness Record: Television's most frequent clapper. When the record-keepers did their accounting in 2015, White had clapped 3,721,446 times during 32 seasons—a numerical proof point for the positive energy White emits from the screen. Wheel 's producers lean into White's on-air warmth, too: In May, a special episode of Wheel of Fortune traveled to White's hometown of North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for a behind-the-scenes look at the early life of the beloved host. Online, viewers have a chance to weigh in on White's outfits and can now cast a vote on their favorite of the week. 'People enjoy seeing the outfits I wear every day. What's Vanna going to wear today? I think that's become part of my role,' she says. 50 Over 50: 2025 Our fifth annual list of 200 women who are redefining what's possible in life's second half. VIEW THE FULL LISTST
White also says she and her team have realized that the last 30 seconds of the show are more than just throwaway small talk: 'At the end of the show, we're able to have 20 to 30 seconds of something personal about us. So people have gotten to know me. They know my family. They know I have kids. They know my favorite ice cream,' says White. For curious minds: maple nut and banana nut from Original Painter's Homemade Ice Cream in her hometown, which also sells a 'Vanna Banana Split' (made, naturally, from White's beloved maple nut and banana nut).
"It's a half hour of family fun, people enjoy that," says White about Wheel. "There's no drama. It's all about winning and making people happy." Sony Pictures Television/Bright Lights
Ice cream isn't the only product boasting White's name or likeness: In 2023, she fronted a limited-edition makeup line with Laura Geller, a brand known for products tailored to mature skin. She also has her own yarn collaboration with Lion Brand Yarns. (White, an avid crocheter, last season gifted Seacrest a blanket she spent 40 hours making.) Half of the Vanna's Choice yarn proceeds go to St. Jude's, totaling more than $2 million in contributions to date.
When asked by Forbes if she envisions someone else taking over her role when the time comes, White admits she's not sure and thinks it should be up to the audience. She does, however, have some advice for whoever might one day step into her shoes at the puzzle board: 'Be yourself, and know the entire alphabet!'
More from Forbes Forbes 50 Over 50 Global: 2025 By Maggie McGrath Forbes Meet The Judges For The 2024 50 Over 50 List By Maggie McGrath Forbes The Age Of Disruption: Meet The 50 Over 50 2023 By Maggie McGrath
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