Veteran TV personality and longtime co-host of Wheel of Fortune Vanna White revealed she initially worried if she and Ryan Seacrest, the newly minted successor to Pat Sajak, would have good chemistry together on the game show.
“I’ve known Ryan for probably 20 years, but in the past couple of months we’ve done some traveling together for the show and we got to know each other a little better too, so I think our chemistry is good,” she told CBS News Sunday Morning‘s correspondent Luke Burbank.
“What do you think?” she asked Burbank, who responded that it looked like the two had been paired up on screen “forever.”
When prompted by Burbank, who asked if she was nervous about the partnership as there’s no accounting for chemistry between two hosts, White said, “That’s so true. I had no idea what to expect when I’m used to one person for so long. I was very scared, but he’s doing a great job.”
Seacrest, who rose to fame as a presenter on American Idol, will officially begin his tenure on the popular, decades-long-running CBS competition series Sept. 9, though taping commenced in mid-July. White will continue in her role as co-host, following the departure of Sajak, who retired after the duo had been running Wheel together since 1982.
“This is such an incredible, special franchise,” Seacrest told Burbank. “It’s more than a TV show. It is something that means something to people, and when I found out this was an opportunity for me, there was no thought to this. It was like, ‘Absolutely, let’s figure it out and let’s get started.’”
Wheel of Fortune saw its largest audience in over four years with Sajak’s farewell episode on June 7, counting more than 11 million watchers who tuned in to bid adieu to the presenter, who had served in the role for over 40 years.
In a social media video sharing his enthusiasm at the new gig, Seacrest said of the first day of filming, “My heart’s pounding. I’m so excited.”
White, who will be with the show for at least two more years, previously said she always assumed she would retire alongside Sajak. However, after lengthy contract negotiations in September of last year, she will stay on through the 2025-26 TV season, stating earlier this year that while she’s not sure how long she will continue in the role, she is “not ready” to give up the stage yet.