Heeeere’s Vanna!
Vanna White, the much-loved letter-turner on Wheel of Fortune, continues to appear on the show after joining as cohost in 1982. The series first aired on January 6, 1975, meaning White has been a part of it for over 51 years!
But she came quite close to exiting stage left.
After Pat Sajak announced his retirement in 2024 following 41 years of hosting the game show, Vanna White told TopMob News she considered leaving too. She explained that after working with Pat for so long, she felt it was time for her to step down as well.
But more than a year later, she’s still turning alongside new cohost Ryan Seacrest.
After giving it a lot of thought, she decided she wasn’t ready to retire. She’s enjoying life, feeling healthy and good, and plans to continue working one year at a time.
Because, admittedly, she scored a pretty sweet gig.
Because the show films multiple episodes simultaneously—six at a time—the 68-year-old actor only works around 34 days each year.
Surprisingly, even though she now has a large dress collection – trying on around 30 to 40 during fittings – her overall work has become easier.
I used to physically flip the letters, and then I’d touch them,” the mother of two explained on the Elvis Duran Morning Show in March 2025. “But a couple of years ago, the set was updated, and now I don’t even need to touch them anymore.”
She explained that there was a laser, and when her hand moved close to the letter, it would light up.
So it’s hardly a surprise that no other hosting opportunities have really made Vanna turn her head.
After spending so much time on Wheel of Fortune, I don’t think I’d rather be doing anything else on television,” she told TopMob. “When I retire, I honestly just want to play golf.”
Right now, she’s continuing to work at her regular job. And figuring out why the game show is so captivating? That’s something we’re hoping to understand.
We don’t have any vowels to offer, but here are 26 behind-the-scenes facts about the show – one for every letter of the alphabet!
Wheel of Fortune was created by Merv Griffin and first aired on NBC in 1975 as a daytime game show, inspired by the game Hangman. In 1981, Pat Sajak became the host, and Vanna White joined him as co-host the following year. The show moved into syndication in 1983, and a spin-off, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, premiered on ABC in 2021.
Pat Sajak began his broadcasting career in Chicago and served in the United States Army in 1968, working with Armed Forces Radio in Saigon during the Vietnam War. After his service, he worked at various radio and TV stations as an announcer, talk show host, and weatherman. He was working as a weatherman in Los Angeles when Merv Griffin offered him the opportunity to host Wheel of Fortune.
In a June 2024 interview with his daughter, Maggie Sajak, Pat recalled his initial reaction: “Honestly, my first thought was that there wasn’t much for me to do! Saying ‘Yes, there are three R’s’ doesn’t seem like a big career step… clearly, I was wrong.”
Vanna grew up in South Carolina and initially studied fashion design in Atlanta. She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, where she was discovered and auditioned for Wheel of Fortune. She recalled being very nervous during the audition, where she was one of 200 hopefuls and the last one to try out. Interestingly, Wheel of Fortune has shared that the first letter Vanna ever turned on the puzzle board was ‘T’.
Jim Thornton became the announcer for Wheel of Fortune in 2011. Before that, he had a successful career doing voice work for various projects, including films like Monsters, Inc., TV shows like Rugrats, and Celebrity Deathmatch.
Pat and Vanna hosted over 8,000 episodes of Wheel of Fortune over 41 seasons before Pat’s retirement in June 2024. Pat even earned a Guinness World Record in 2019 for having the longest career as a game show host on the same program. Vanna also holds a record – in 2013, Guinness World Records recognized her as the “most frequent clapper,” estimating she clapped at least 3,480,864 times over 30 seasons. Considering her occasional absences, this averages out to about 606 claps per show.
Wheel of Fortune is incredibly popular, drawing over 20 million viewers weekly, according to a recent announcement. Over its 41 seasons, the show has given away almost 600 cars and nearly 5,000 vacations. As of 2024, Wheel of Fortune has awarded over $324 million in cash and prizes to contestants.
As a longtime fan, I’m always amazed by Vanna! Did you know she’s walked the equivalent of two marathons – around 52 miles! – just going back and forth across the puzzle board? And her dresses! Over 7,000 of them! Sadly, she doesn’t get to keep any, though. What’s even more incredible is that for almost four decades, she never wore the same dress twice! She actually posted a funny video in 2020 showing she’d finally repeated an outfit – a blue dress – and joked it was ‘so 2020’! It just shows how dedicated she is and how much effort goes into every show.
As a lifestyle expert, I’m always fascinated by the details that make a show iconic, and Wheel of Fortune‘s wheel is definitely that! It’s massive – weighing in at a whopping 2,400 pounds! What’s even more impressive is that it’s completely disassembled and rebuilt at every location. The whole production travels with over a million pounds of equipment, which is incredible! And don’t forget the Bonus Wheel – it’s packed with over 24 envelopes filled with exciting prizes. It really adds to the thrill of the game!
If you’re ever confused about how Wheel of Fortune works, Vanna White can explain it. She revealed in 2015 that filming takes just four days, but they record six episodes each day.
In 2022, the show upgraded the puzzle board to one large screen. Vanna explained in a YouTube video that she doesn’t even need to touch it anymore – she simply holds her hand near it.
Interestingly, the cost to buy a vowel has remained constant at $250 for the last forty years, even as other prices have changed.
Have you ever wondered how Pat Sajak instantly knows how many letters are in a puzzle after a contestant guesses? He shared in a 2021 video that a team listens to ensure the correct letter is called, then displays the number of letters on a screen that only he can see from the host’s position.
Contestants on Wheel of Fortune have access to a letter board that shows which consonants and vowels have already been guessed, something viewers at home don’t see. Pat Sajak explained that this helps players avoid repeating guesses, though mistakes still happen.
Pat is also the creator of the popular Toss-Up puzzles. He came up with the idea to add more content to the show without extending the runtime. The show’s producer later added the Triple Toss-Up, and Pat suggested awarding $10,000 for solving all three.
A 2015 analysis by The Washington Post examined over 1,500 bonus puzzles from 2007-2015. It found that the letters H, G, P, and O were most common (after accounting for the letters R, S, T, L, N, and E already provided). Interestingly, players tended to choose letters like C, D, M, and A more often, even though those letters appeared less frequently in the puzzles according to the analysis.
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2026-01-06 14:18