Ryan Seacrest is about to officially make his “Wheel of Fortune” debut, and his co-host Vanna White is admitting she was initially a little nervous.
White worked with host Pat Sajak for over 40 years, and said she had “no idea what to expect” with Seacrest taking over the position.
“I mean, when I’m used to one person for so long, I was very scared, but he’s doing a great job,” White said on this weekend’s episode of “CBS Sunday Morning.”
‘WHEEL OF FORTUNE’ HOST RYAN SEACREST SHARES ‘WILD’ FIRST DAY ON SET: ‘MY HEART’S POUNDING’
“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 noted.
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This is probably a relief for fans since rumors were swirling in June that White was considering quitting “Wheel of Fortune” due to awkwardness with Seacrest, despite having signed a contract in the fall to appear through the 2025-2026 season of the show. However, the 67-year-old appeared to try and dispel speculation of a rift with an Instagram post in July.
“Friends on and off camera. Enjoying one of our favorites, Chicken and Dumplings!” White captioned a photo of her and her new co-host dining out together on Instagram.
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On “CBS Sunday Morning,” Seacrest said he jumped at the chance to host such a beloved show.
“This is such an incredible, special franchise. It’s more than a TV show. It is something that means something to people and when I found out that 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.”
However, the 49-year-old confessed there was a learning curve, and he had to put in the work to get it right.
“Wherever I was working, the producers sometimes would come, and they’d bring contestants, and we would play ‘Wheel of Fortune’ in hotels just to get familiar with the rules and scenarios and things that can happen so that at some point it becomes second nature,” Seacrest said.
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Last year, Sajak announced he was retiring after 41 seasons of hosting the hit show. Shortly after, the show announced that Seacrest would be taking over for the television legend.
In July, Seacrest shared a behind the scenes look at his first day on the “Wheel of Fortune” set with a post on Instagram.
“A glimpse of my first day at @wheeloffortune, and I’m still spinning with excitement!” he captioned the video.
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“My heart’s pounding. I’m so excited,” Seacrest admitted. Later in the video he revealed, “You know, I could not sleep last night, I was so excited. I slept OK but still very excited for the alarm to go off.”
Seacrest, who also hosts “American Idol,” told “CBS Sunday Morning” that he does not know if he has reached “peak Ryan Seacrest,” but noted for the moment he’s reached “fully occupied me.”
“I don’t think I should take on another job right now. I want this one to go so well. I want all of them to go well, but this one’s new and I want this one to be something that people go, ‘Oh, okay. You know what, I get it. That makes sense.’”
“Wheel of Fortune” premieres with Seacrest as the host on Sept. 9.
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