Ryan Seacrest has nothing but good things to say about Vanna White.
Seacrest, who teamed up with White when he took over for Pat Sajak in 2024 on “Wheel of Fortune,” says his co-star is a very thoughtful person who went out of her way to buy him a special gift.
“She’s so super generous and sweet and kind,” he told People. “She even brought me — because I was saying, I drink very strong black coffee and my teeth, sometimes you can see it — she brought me white strips. She brought me white strips. She went to the store the next day. She brought me white strips.”
And while the cliché says you shouldn’t meet your heroes, Seacrest says White is everything people would hope she’d be.
“She is an institution, an icon,” he said. “She’s amazing. She’s everything you think Vanna White will be when you meet her!”
Seacrest and White were not exactly strangers before they crossed paths on “Wheel of Fortune,” either.
“We’ve known each other for a long time, so we’ve had a friendly relationship for two decades, which America may not know,” he told E! News in a September interview with White.
In that same interview, White gushed about getting the chance to work with Seacrest as “Wheel of Fortune’s” co-host.
“And when they said Ryan’s going to be the next one and I said, ‘Great.’ Because he’s so talented, he’s so professional, he’s so good at what he does. I’m so thankful,” she said.
Seacrest was also thrilled when he learned White had signed an extension in September 2023 to remain on the show.
“This is such great news,” he saidduring a Sunday Sitdown with TODAY’s Willie Geist after learning about White’s new contract. “Vanna has been such a staple on that show and in our living rooms for so many years. I’ve been very excited to work with her but now that it’s official I can say, ‘Congratulations, Vanna.’ I can’t wait.”
When Seacrest officially took over for Sajak last September to kick off the show’s 42nd season, he made sure to let viewers know how overjoyed he was at the opportunity.
“Welcome to ‘Wheel of Fortune.’ I am your host, Ryan Seacrest. I still can’t believe my luck being here with you tonight to continue this legacy of this incredible show with all of you, and of course, my good friend Vanna White,” he said at the top of his first episode. “Thank you for the very warm welcome. Hosting ‘Wheel of Fortune’ is a dream job.”