Wheel of FortuneVanna White is exactly where she wants to be.
After host Pat Sajak announced his departure from his favorite show in June, speculations began to swirl about the return of his friend and longtime co-host. Last month, White struck a deal with Wheel of Fortune to return through the 2025-26 season.
White, 66, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue that she had a hard time reading about the negotiations online. “It’s because people are just spreading rumours,” she says. “Everything is so inflated, not just with my stuff, with everyone’s stuff.”
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But White considers herself a “strong person,” who wouldn’t let the rumors get to her.
“I won’t do anything I don’t want to or don’t believe in,” she says. “My mother taught me this at a young age and I stand by it.”
The South Carolinian would give the same advice to today’s young women. “I would tell them to follow their heart and really don’t do anything you don’t want to do,” she advises. “Don’t let anyone talk you into doing something you don’t want to do. You have that instinct in you, we all have it. You listen to that instinct in yourself. It’s never wrong.”
Ricky Middlesworth/ABC via Getty
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While White admits she thought about leaving Wheel of Fortune when Sajak, 76, decided to get out, “I’m so happy I signed on for two more years,” she says. “I’ve got this next year with Pat and then I’ve got two years after that, so I’ll be involved Wheel of Fortuneat least until 2026.”
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In July, a report surfaced that White’s lawyer was asking Sony Pictures Television for 50 percent of Sajak’s salary — but a source familiar with White’s negotiations denied that figure to PEOPLE.
“Fifty percent of Pat’s salary is so outrageous that no one in their right mind could say it’s fair,” the source said. “The negotiations are asking for much more than 50 percent of his salary. They are asking for the same salary – if not more.”
An insider told PEOPLE that the mom of two — who became co-host of the show in 1982 — wanted equal pay with the longtime host after earning roughly $3 million for the past 18 years without a raise.
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Ryan Seacrest at New Year’s Eve 2022 in New York. Jeff Neira via Getty Ryan Seacrest reacts to Vanna White’s ‘Wheel of Fortune’ deal: ‘I’m very happy to be able to work with her’
While the details of the deal White made last month remain under wraps, she will be there when Ryan Seacrest steps in for Sajak after he leaves.
“I know Ryan — he’s a professional, he’s good at what he does, he’s kind,” White says. “I think it will be good. He is such a nice guy and loves what he does. He said, ‘Look, I’m not going to replace Pat. I’m not going to go try to replace Pat. No one can ever replace him.’ He says he’s coming to do a good job and continue performing, and I’m looking forward to working with him.”
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Wheel of Fortune airs weekdays at 7:00 PM ET on ABC.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education