Vanna White of 'Wheel of Fortune' says she was 'scared' about hosting with Ryan Seacrest

The official premiere of Ryan Seacrest on "Wheel of Fortune" is approaching, and co-host Vanna White has said that she was originally anxious about the change.

While White had "no idea what to expect" from Seacrest's tenure as host, she had worked with Pat Sajak for more than 40 years, as Fox News reported.

"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."

"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.

Rumors Swirl

Fans will be relieved to hear this, as speculation had been circulating since June that White was contemplating leaving "Wheel of Fortune" owing to tensions with Seacrest, even though he had signed a deal in the fall to remain an appearance on the show through 30 June 2026.

Nevertheless, in July, the 67-year-old seemed to attempt to debunk rumors of a split with an Instagram post.

"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.

While appearing on "CBS Sunday Morning," Seacrest expressed his enthusiasm at the opportunity to host the much-loved 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."

End of an Era

After 41 successful seasons as host, Sajak announced his retirement last year. The show quickly followed by announcing Ryan Seacrest would be replacing the late TV icon.

Seacrest posted an Instagram photo from his first day on the set of "Wheel of Fortune" in July, giving fans a glimpse behind the scenes.

"A glimpse of my first day at @wheeloffortune, and I’m still spinning with excitement!" he captioned the video.

"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."