‘Wheel of Fortune’ Considered ‘Eliminating’ Vanna White’s Role: Report

Wheel of Fortune won’t be the same show after that Pat Sayak leave next year – possibly in more ways than one.

According to a report by Puk published on Thursday, June 22, higher up at Sony have considered to Vanna White‘s role after her longtime colleague, 76, retires from the game show in 2024. White, 66, was Sajak’s cohost on Wheel of Fortune since 1982.

The outlet noted that White’s departure could happen if Sajak is replaced by someone who is already a household name. White is reportedly in negotiations for her return after the end of the 2023/24 season, which will be Sajak’s last.

Earlier this month, Sajak announced that he will retire from the series in 2024 after more than 40 years as a presenter. “Well, the time has come,” he said in a statement on June 12. “I have decided that our 41st season, which starts in September, will be my last. It has been a great ride and I will have more to say in the months to come. Many thanks to all of you.”

While some Wheel of Fortune viewers only know White as Sajak’s letter-turning (and later letter-tapping) partner. She has also hosted the show in the past, filling in for Sajak in 2019 as he recovered from emergency surgery for a blocked bowel.

“I’ve never thought of that in 37 years, and to be asked almost on the spot, ‘What do you think about hosting the show?’ As?!” White said The New York Times when asked how she felt about stepping into the role. “I was very nervous.”

In the same interview, White said she would like to see more women host game shows. “Everyone has the right to host the show: woman, man, everyone,” she explained. “It would be nice to see more women out there doing that. If that’s what they want to do.”

Since Sajak announced his retirement, numerous celebrities have thrown their hats in the ring for a chance to host the long-running puzzle game, which debuted in 1975. Earlier this month, Andy Cohen told exclusively Us weekly host that Wheel of Fortune would be his ‘dream job’.

“Not only is a game show something I haven’t done yet, but that’s the game show premiere,” the Bravo host, 55, added. “It’s really fun.”

However, Cohen faces stiff competition Whoopi Goldberg say she wants the gig and report that the Ryan Seacrest is one of the leading contenders.

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“I want that job,” the 67-year-old Goldberg said on the June 13 episode The view. “I think it would be a lot of fun.”