'Wheel of Fortune's' Vanna White dismisses rumours of rift with Ryan Seacrest with new pic

Article content

Vanna White and Ryan Seacrest are getting along just fine as they get set for their first Wheel of Fortune season together.

Earlier this week, White shared a smiling photo of the two dining out on Instagram as they sat down for one of their favourite meals.

“Friends on and off camera,” White captioned her post. “Enjoying one of our favourites, Chicken and Dumplings!”

Seacrest chimed in with his own comment, writing: “Always a treat! Here’s to more fun moments and delicious bites 🥟!”

Last month, rumours circulated that White, 67, wasn’t gelling with Seacrest, 49, who is taking over from Pat Sajak as the new host of Wheel of Fortune when the show returns in September.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, White, who inked a deal to stay on with the game show through the 2025-2026 season, “doesn’t jibe” with Seacrest.

“Vanna is retiring from the show when her contract ends, but there is a part of her that wants to walk away sooner,” a source told the publication. 

After more than four decades, thousands of episodes, tens of thousands of contestants and hundreds of millions of dollars in prizes, Sajak retired from Wheel in June. But his absence has been hard on White.

“It is just so difficult to do this without Pat,” a show insider told the Mail.

The Mail’s source added that White “feels that she has put her time in.”

“She devoted her entire life to this show and she had an incredible run while making a fortune,” they said. “She knows that the show needs to go in a different direction and appeal to a younger demographic. She wants the show to continue. This will require a younger female host, someone who can be to Ryan what she was to Pat … She just doesn’t jibe with Ryan like she did with Pat, and no one really ever expected her to. There is just no way that she possibly could.”

After Sajak announced he was retiring at the end of the show’s 41st season last summer, producers tapped Seacrest, who also hosts American Idol, to take over.

Sajak’s last episode of the game show aired in June, with White praising her longtime TV partner in an emotional tribute video.

White called Sajak “a true friend” as she honoured their time in front of the camera before he signed off from the program. But she said their lives away from the spotlight meant more to her. “Those memories, milestones and life events we shared with our families, outside the studio, are my favourite,” she said as candid photos were displayed onscreen.

Following the broadcast of his final episode, Seacrest also paid tribute to Sajak — and White — in an Instagram post.

“Your dedication, charm, and wit have made the show a beloved part of American television for decades. Your partnership with Vanna has been nothing short of iconic, and together, you’ve created countless wonderful memories for viewers,” Seacrest wrote in his post, which included a photo and a video of him, Sajak and White on the Wheel of Fortune set. “You’ve set the standard for hosts everywhere, and this marks the end of an era.”

Although he just retired, Sajak has agreed to stay on as a creative consultant. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sajak will also return to host one final season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune in the fall.

Seacrest and White kick off Wheel of Fortune Season 42 in September.

mdaniell@postmedia.com