Vanna White Fans Sound off on Her ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Hosting After Posting 2020 Family Photo

After Wheel of Fortune co-host Vanna White shared a new family photo to celebrate 2020, longtime fans of the show flooded her social media pages to praise the job she has done as solo host on the game show. White filmed several episodes as host in November after Pat Sajak had a medical emergency, and the episodes began airing last month. White has been on the beloved “letter-turner” on Wheel with Sajak since 1982.

On Thursday, White shared a photo with longtime boyfriend John Donaldson and her two children, Gigi Santo Pietro, 23, and Niko Santo Pietro, 25. Their father is White’s ex-husband, George Santo Pietro, a restaurant owner.

While many of White’s fans responded to the photo by wishing her a “Happy New Year,” others praised her work as Wheel‘s solo host.

“Same to you Vanna you have done a great job filling in for Pat keep up the good work,” one fan wrote.

“You did an awesome job filling in for [Sajak],” another commented.

“Happy New Year’s. Great job last month,” another wrote.

White also shared the photo on Instagram, where many other fans had nothing but praise for her performance.

“Happpppy new year! I love the show. You did an amazing job!” one wrote.

In November, the Wheel of Fortune team announced Sajak had successful surgery for a blocked intestine, and White would have to fill-in while he recovered. White made her hosting debut with the Dec. 20 episode, and is hosting another batch of episodes from Jan. 6 to Jan. 10. Sajak is returning on Monday, Jan. 13.

Although Sajak and White have been working together for 37 years, this was the first time she was enlisted to host Wheel solo. However, she has no plans on making hosting a regular thing.

“No. I like my puzzle board, I want to stay at my puzzle board,” White told Esquire when asked if she would like to alternate between hosting and turning the letters on the game board. “And there’s no competition either. It’s Pat’s job, and I’m filling in for him. I’m not looking to take his position.”

White also said she was not totally prepared to fill in for Sajak, and pointed out that their jobs on the show are very different.

“It’s like I’ve been playing first base in this ball game… and all of a sudden the captain comes up and says you’re gonna play pitcher today,” she said. “It’s like, ‘Ooh, wait, I know how to play first base, and I know how to play the game, but putting myself in another position is totally different.’”

White admitted she only had 30 minutes to prepare to host before her first episode was filmed.

“It was a huge shift because all of a sudden all the attention was on me,” White told Vulture. “I had to carry the show and make sure the contestants were well taken care of. I had to be present for every second, every spin, every letter called, every prize on the wheel. It was like being on a ball team. All my life I’ve played first base, and now I had to step in and play second base. It’s out of your comfort zone when you’re not familiar with it.”

Photo credit: Getty Images