Vanna White Considered Leaving Wheel of Fortune Along With Pat Sajak

While the country may have breathed a collective sigh of relief when it was announced that Vanna White would remain on Wheel of Fortune even after Pat Sajaks impending retirement next year, it almost didnt pan out that way. In fact, the iconic TV personality recently told People that she seriously considered leaving the show

While the country may have breathed a collective sigh of relief when it was announced that Vanna White would remain on Wheel of Fortune even after Pat Sajak’s impending retirement next year, it almost didn’t pan out that way. In fact, the iconic TV personality recently told People that she seriously considered leaving the show in tandem with Sajak upon the 2024 season’s conclusion before ultimately deciding to extend her contract for two more years.

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“Of course it's a thought. It's like, 'Well, wait, if you're leaving, what am I going to do? How can I stay without you?'" White told the publication in its latest issue. "It was a very hard decision for me to make, because it definitely crossed my mind."

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She added, “It's like, 'I just don't know if I can do this without you,' but I thought about it and I'm not ready to retire, so I am staying on.”

White, who was recently awarded a much-deserved raise after reportedly making half of what Sajak earned for most of her career, will co-star alongside Ryan Seacrest when he replaces Pat next fall.

“I know Ryan — he is professional, he's good at what he does, he's kind," White shared. "I think it's going to be good. He's such a nice guy and he loves what he does. He said, 'Look, I am not replacing Pat. I'm not going in to try to fill Pat's shoes. No one can ever replace him.' He says he's coming in to do a good job and to keep the show going, and I'm looking forward to working with him.”

But Wheel of Fortune fans need not fret — Vanna also added that plenty of reminiscing will take place over the course of Pat’s last season in celebration of his storied career. 

“We are celebrating this year with Pat and all the good times, all the 41 years, all the memories," she said. "We are going to be doing some incredible stuff to say goodbye to Pat at the end of the season. We have almost a whole season to do that, to just look at all the great things that we've done together. I'm so looking forward to that. It's going to be very sad."

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